Arnaud Pontin (Image : AI / Gay Globe)
As part of our ongoing series on medical research, we take a closer look at two anti-parasitic drugs that have shown promising activity against certain cancer cells—at least in the very early stages of research, primarily in laboratory studies and animal models.
Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic drug discovered in the late 1970s and introduced into human medicine during the 1980s. It is widely recognized as one of the most effective treatments for several parasitic diseases and is included on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines.
In humans, ivermectin is prescribed to treat infections caused by parasites, including onchocerciasis (river blindness), strongyloidiasis, and infestations caused by mites, such as scabies. In many countries, it has also played a key role in public health campaigns aimed at reducing the spread of tropical parasitic diseases.
The drug works by paralyzing and killing parasites through a mechanism that targets their nervous system. Because this mechanism differs significantly from that of human cells, ivermectin is generally considered safe and well tolerated when used at approved doses.
Over the past several years, ivermectin has attracted scientific interest for other potential applications. Laboratory studies have suggested that it may possess antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and even anti-cancer properties. However, these findings come almost exclusively from preclinical research, involving cell cultures and animal studies rather than human patients.
Fenbendazole is another anti-parasitic drug, belonging to the benzimidazole family. Unlike ivermectin, it is used almost exclusively in veterinary medicine to treat intestinal worm infections in dogs, cats, horses, cattle, and other animals.
It works by preventing parasites from absorbing glucose, their primary energy source, ultimately causing their death.
Unlike ivermectin, fenbendazole is not approved for human use in most countries, including Canada, the United States, and Europe. Its use remains limited to veterinary medicine and should only occur under the supervision of a veterinarian.
In recent years, however, fenbendazole has generated growing interest among cancer researchers. Laboratory and animal studies have suggested that it may interfere with microtubules—structures essential for cell division, including the division of cancer cells. This mechanism could potentially slow the growth of certain tumors under experimental conditions.
Medical history shows that drugs originally developed for one disease sometimes find a second life treating an entirely different condition. This strategy is known as drug repurposing or drug repositioning. Several medications now widely used in oncology were initially created for completely different medical purposes.
For ivermectin and fenbendazole, researchers have identified several biological mechanisms that could explain possible anti-cancer effects. In laboratory experiments, both compounds appear capable of disrupting cancer cell division, promoting cancer cell death, and interfering with pathways involved in tumor growth.
These findings are intriguing enough to justify continued research.
However, there is an important reality that is often overlooked: more than 90 percent of compounds that show promise in laboratory studies never become approved medicines.
There are many reasons why. A drug may work well on isolated cells in a Petri dish but fail to produce meaningful results in humans. It may require doses that are too high to be safe, cause unacceptable side effects, or simply fail to demonstrate clinical benefit during human trials.
Fenbendazole presents an additional challenge because it is a veterinary medication. Before it could ever be considered for human use, researchers would need to demonstrate not only that it works, but also that it is safe and determine the appropriate dosage.
Ivermectin, on the other hand, has one important advantage: its safety profile in humans has been well established through decades of use against parasitic infections. If future clinical trials were to demonstrate meaningful anti-cancer activity at safe doses, its development could potentially move more quickly than that of an entirely new drug. That possibility, however, does not mean that ivermectin has already been proven effective against cancer.
For now, oncologists remain cautious. It would be premature to claim that either drug will become a major cancer treatment. Nevertheless, it is entirely possible that one or both could eventually find a role in treating specific types of cancer, perhaps in combination with existing therapies, if ongoing clinical research confirms the encouraging preclinical findings.
Donald Trump and Ivermectin
When Donald Trump contracted COVID-19 in October 2020, he received an experimental treatment that included a monoclonal antibody cocktail, remdesivir, and dexamethasone. He never announced that he had taken ivermectin as part of his treatment.
A few months later, however, ivermectin became one of the most controversial drugs of the pandemic. Several conservative commentators, dissident physicians, and influencers aligned with the pro-Trump movement began promoting it as a treatment for COVID-19 despite the lack of convincing clinical evidence.
Its popularity surged, leading some people to purchase veterinary formulations intended for horses or livestock. That trend resulted in numerous poisonings and prompted repeated warnings from U.S. health authorities.
One important fact is often overlooked: ivermectin is not simply a “horse dewormer.” It has been safely prescribed to millions of people around the world for decades to treat parasitic diseases, and its discovery earned the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. During the pandemic, however, highly concentrated veterinary formulations dominated media coverage, contributing to widespread misunderstanding.
Another important distinction is that while Donald Trump strongly promoted hydroxychloroquine during the early stages of the pandemic, he never led a comparable public campaign in support of ivermectin. The association between Trump and ivermectin emerged largely because many of his supporters and several conservative media figures embraced the drug, rather than because of statements he personally made.
Today, ivermectin and fenbendazole remain the subject of legitimate scientific investigation in oncology. Whether either drug will eventually become part of future cancer treatments remains an open question—one that only rigorous clinical trials can answer.
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