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, mebendazole, albendazole belong to the benzimidazoles carbamates chemical family.
What if… I can show you 50 patents over half a century, linking such molecules with anticancer applications ?
And a few applicants names will raise your eyebrows…
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
Pharmaceutical composition for inhibiting the growth of viruses and cancers
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/US6479526B1/en
2005
China
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
2015
South Korea (Chungnam National University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation)
Novel albendazole nanoparticles and composition comprising the same for preventing or treating cancer
https://patents.google.com/patent/KR20160117033A/en
2015
Taiwan (Launx Biomedical Co Ltd)
Applications of anthelmintic in preparing anticancer pharmaceutical composition
https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2016062277A1/en
2016
John Hopkins (famous US 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
United States (John Hopkins University, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry Prague)
Mebendazole prodrugs with enhanced solubility and oral bioavailability
https://patents.google.com/patent/US11712435B2/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 (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
China (Sun Yat Sen University)
The role of albendazole or its pharmaceutically acceptable salt in the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma
https://patents.google.com/patent/CN111840281A/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
2020
Taiwan (Acura Nanomedicine Corp)
Method for treating cancers (benzimidazole + autophagy inhibitor)
https://patents.google.com/patent/US12419864B2/en
2021
United States (John Hopkins)
Preventative effect of mebendazole against malignancies in neurofibromatosis
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/US11850235B2/en
2021
South Korea ( Konkuk University Samsung Life Public Welfare Foundation)
Pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating cancer comprising nanoparticles loaded with benzimidazole as an active ingredient
https://patents.google.com/patent/KR20230037922A/en
2021
China (Dongguan Peoples Hospital)
Application of oxfendazole as an anti-ovarian cancer drug
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/CN113648308A/en
2021
Taiwan (National Changhua University of Education )
Two non-cancer drugs pharmaceutical composition use of cancer treatment (pancreatic cancer)
https://patents.google.com/patent/TW202214245A/en
2021
United Kingdom (Raincastle Bio Ltd)
Combination treatment of a saponin agent and an anthelminitic agent against cancer (mebendazole)
https://patents.google.com/patent/EP4101438B1/en
2021
United Kingdom (Health Clinics Limited)
Cancer Drug and Uses (mebendazole)
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20210252024A1/en
2021
China (Hunan University, Central South University)
A kind of application of albendazole for reducing PD-L1 expression
https://patents.google.com/patent/CN115702895A/en
2022
Taiwan (China Medical University)
Use of medicinal composition for treating lung cancer (albendazole)
https://patents.google.com/patent/TW202247843A/en
2022
China (Fuzhou Medical College Of Nanchang University)
Preparation method and application of mebendazole liposome (against uveal melanoma)
Link : https://patents.google.com/patent/CN115177590A/en
2022
South Korea (Chungnam National University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation)
Mebendazole-containing solid dispersion, pharmaceutical composition comprising the solid dispersion and preparation method of the solid dispersion
https://patents.google.com/patent/KR102684499B1/en
2022
South Korea (Korea University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation)
Pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating diseases related to abnormal proliferation of endometrial cells or trophoblast cells comprising fenbendazole, oxibendazole or mixture thereof
https://patents.google.com/patent/KR102675587B1/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
2023
China (Wenzhou Kean University)
Clathrate compound of methyl-beta-cyclodextrin and albendazole and preparation method thereof
https://patents.google.com/patent/CN117357664A/en
2024
China (Jilin University)
Albendazole delivery anticancer drug and preparation method thereof
https://patents.google.com/patent/CN118987261A/en
2024
China (Hebei University)
Use of albendazole as a DKC1 inhibitor
https://patents.google.com/patent/CN119523978A/en
2025
China (Sun Yat Sen University)
Method for enhancing anti-tumor effect of oncolytic virus M1 (albendazole)
https://patents.google.com/patent/CN119837865A/en
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 medias; Cancer is also a battle of communication.
This factual list of 50 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]