Niclosamide is an anthelmintic indicated in the treatment of beef, pork, fish, and dwarf tapeworm infections in adults and children. Helminths (worms) are multicellular organisms that infect very large numbers of humans and cause a broad range of diseases.
- Mechanism
- Curator reviewed
Niclosamide works by killing tapeworms on contact. Adult worms (but not ova) are rapidly killed, presumably due to uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation or stimulation of ATPase activity. The killed worms are then passed in the stool or sometimes destroyed in the intestine. Niclosamide may work as a molluscicide by binding to and damaging DNA.
- Primary indication
- For the treatment of tapeworm and intestinal fluke infections: Taenia saginata (Beef Tapeworm), Taenia solium (Pork Tapeworm), Diphyllobothrium latum (Fish Tapeworm), Fasciolopsis buski (large intestinal fluke).Curator reviewed · 3 structured indications
- Formula / weight
- C13H8Cl2N2O4 · 327.12 g/mol (avg)
- Code names
- BAY 2353 · NSC-178296 · WR 46234
Resolves to
RJMUSRYZPJIFPJ-UHFFFAOYSA-NSMILESOC1=C(C=C(Cl)C=C1)C(=O)NC1=C(Cl)C=C(C=C1)[N+]([O-])=OWhat you can answer from here — as of April 23, 2025
Which other approved drugs treat the same conditions as Niclosamide, and which companies have late-stage candidates in those indications?
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