Controlled comparative study of the efficacy of pyrantel pamoate and a combined regimen of piperazine citrate and bephenium hydroxynaphthoate in the treatment of intestinal nemathelminthiases.

Pyrantel pamoate at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight daily for 2 or 3 days was found to be more effective against Ascaris than both a regimen of bephenium hydroxynaphthoate (2.5 g base) and piperazine citrate (2-3 g) given daily for 2 days and a placebo-treated control group. The cure rates for pyrantel were about 95% compared to 90 and 20% for the other two groups respectively. None of the drug schedules was effective against the Trichuris. The bephenium/piperazine regimen was superior to both the 2-day and 3-day courses of pyrantel pamoate against the hookworm with aggregate cure rates of 58-60% for pyrantel pamoate and 68-85% for bephenium/piperazine. The results were better than those reported earlier in the series when a single dose of pyrantel pamoate (10 mg/kg of body weight) was used. Pyrantel pamoate was well tolerated and the drug merits further studies at higher doses, particularly against the hookworm.