Do you remember ?
« You’re not a horse. You’re not a dog. »
« You don’t have any medecine diploma. »
« A veterinary anthelmintic drug against cancer ? You’re just a quack ! »
Fenbendazole and mebendazole belong to the benzimidazoles carbamates chemical family.
What if… I can show you 30 patents over half of a century, linking such molecules with anticancer applications ?
And a few companies names will raise your eyebrows…
It seems strange but apparently I’m the only one to have digged into patents databases !
Ready ? Here is the list. Year, country, applicant’s name, title and a link to Google Patents.
Nothing fancy but efficient.
The first patent (according to my research) was filed in february 1976 at the INPI (Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle, in France).
Applicant’s name ? Janssen (pharmaceutical company created in Belgium in 1953, then bought out by the US giant, Johnson&Johnson. The founder, doctor Paul Janssen was a real drugs inventor. He created imodium, mebendazole and even fentanyl among several others).
Title : « Benzimidazolyl carbamates promoting the regression of neoplastic disorders or diseases »
Link : https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/024218138/publication/FR2302734A1?q=FR2302734A1
1996
Procter&Gamble
Use of benzimidazoles for the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of leukemia
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/EP0831816A1/en
1996
Procter&Gamble
Pharmaceutical composition for inhibiting the growth of cancers
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/US5929099A/en
1998
Procter&Gamble
Method of treating cancer with a benzimidazole and a chemotherapeutic agent
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/US6271217B1/en
1998
United States (Cell Pathways Inc)
Method of inhibiting neoplastic cells with benzimidazole derivatives
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/US6348032B1/en
2000
Procter&Gamble
Compounds and methods for use thereof in the treatment of cancer or viral infections
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/US6407105B1/en
2001
Procter&Gamble
Benzimidazole-2-carbamates and their use in cancer treatment
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2001083457A2/en
2001
United States (CombinatoRx Inc)
Combinations of drugs (e.g., a benzimidazole and pentamidine) for the treatment of neoplastic disorders
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/US6693125B2/en
2002
United States (Introgen Therapeutics Inc, University of Texas System)
Antihelminthic drugs as a treatment for hyperproliferative diseases
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/US7423015B1/en
2002
Australia (NewSouth Innovations Pty Ltd)
Method for treatment of cancer and compositions for use therein (albendazole)
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/US20050038022A1/en
2002
Procter&Gamble is coming back at it
Pharmaceutical composition for inhibiting the growth of viruses and cancers
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/US6479526B1/en
2005
Let’s go to China now !
Cancer treatment (with a benzimidazole carbamate)
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/CN101111248A/en
2005
Australia (NewSouth Innovations Pty Ltd)
Treatment for cancer (with a benzimidazole + a classic chemo)
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/US20090286838A1/en
2008
Singapour (S’BIO Pte Ltd)
Combination of benzimidazole anti-cancer agent and a second anti-cancer agent
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/US20100098691A1/en
2010
United States
Compositions for the treatment of metastatic cancer and methods of use thereof
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/US20120064008A1/en
2013
China (Hangzhou Leisuo Pharmaceutical)
Application of oxibendazole in preparing anti-angiogenesis medicine
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/CN103054858A/en
2016
John Hopkins (famous university and cancer center)
Mebendazole polymorph for treatment and prevention of tumors
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/US11110079B2/en
2018
United Kingdom (university of Bradford)
Mebendazole for use in the treatment of cancer
Lien: https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2018138510A1/en
2018
United States (Georgetown university)
Treating melanoma with mebendazole and a mitogen-activated kinase inhibitor
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/US11179395B2/en
2018
United States (Shepherd Therapeutics, Inc.)
Mebendazole cancer therapies and methods of use
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/US20190175560A1/en
2018
Sweden (Repos Pharma AB)
Cancer treatment (mebendazole)
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2019043108A1/en
2019
China (East China University of Science and Technology)
Application of mebendazole in preparation of medicine for treating acute T-lymphoblastic leukemia
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/CN110585199A/en
2019
China (Wenzhou Medical University)
Application of a kind of fenbendazole in the preparation of antitumor drugs (with curcumin)
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/CN111388469B/en
2019
China (Wenzhou Medical University)
Application of fenbendazole in preparation of antitumor drugs (lung cancer)
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/CN111388469A/en
2019
South Korea (Catholic University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation)
Composition for preventing or treating angiogenesis-related diseases including mebendazole and autophagy inhibitors
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/KR20210083964A/en
2020
China again (Institute of Chinese Materia Medica)
Application of triazole compounds in preparation of anti-glioma drugs (flubendazole, fenbendazole, mebendazole)
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/CN113398122A/en
2020
South Korea (Korea University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation)
Benzimidazole derivatives or its pharmaceutically acceptable salts and use thereof (breast cancer)
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/KR102516896B1/en
2020
United Kingdom (Zephapharm Ltd)
Pharmaceutical combinations comprising mebendazole and a strong or moderate cyp1a2 inhibitor
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2020165559A1/en
2021
John Hopkins continues
Preventative effect of mebendazole against malignancies in neurofibromatosis
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/US11850235B2/en
2021
China follows (Dongguan Peoples Hospital)
Application of orendazole as an anti-ovarian cancer drug
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/CN113648308A/en
2022
China again (Fuzhou Medical College Of Nanchang University)
Preparation method and application of mebendazole liposome (against uveal melanoma)
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/CN115177590A/en
2023
China (Jilin University)
Application of fenbendazole in the preparation of drugs targeting cervical cancer stem cells
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/CN116808026A/en
2023
South Korea (Kangwon National University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation)
Therapeutic Agent for Colorectal Cancer comprising Fenbendazole and TRAIL as active ingredients
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/KR20250014671A/en
Please note that this list is not exhaustive. These molecules are being studied from other angles (veterinary, agricultural) and other pathologies (diabetes, etc.)
Some are even investigating the anti-aging properties of fenbendazole!
2023: « A benzimidazole compound with antihelminthic activity for use in reversing, arresting or slowing down cellular ageing in a vertebrate subject »
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/EP4539808A1/en
Fenbendazole/mebendazole also appears to act as an immunomodulator (which would make sense in the context of cancer).
2007 : https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2008036747A2/en
Please share this article with your network and on social media; Cancer is also a battle of communication.
This factual list of 30 patents spanning half a century provides compelling evidence for the « onconauts » experimenting with or studying these molecules.
Cherry on the cake : it silences the useless idiots who denigrate these products by repeating empty slogans.
To contact me : cdubuit@onconautes.com
[une version française de cet article est disponible ici]