A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MEBENDAZOLE (JANSSEN) ANDGENERICALLY EQUIVALENT MEBENDAZOLE (NORDIA) IN INTESTINAL HELMINTHIASIS IN PAPUA-NEW-GUINEAN CHILDREN

Papua New Guinean schoolchildren in the highlands were randomly assign ed to treatment groups in order to verify the effectiveness of mebenda zole (Nordia) and compare it with mebendazole (Janssen) in both extend ed and single-dose therapy in a double-blind controlled study. Only th e Janssen product given twice daily for three days was of value in 'cu ring' hookworm. Single-dose treatment with the same product was highly effective in treating roundworm but not hookworm or whipworm. Observa tions suggest that drug particle size may be an important determinant of efficacy against hookworm. Based on this study, the use of the Jans sen formulation of mebendazole would be preferable.