ArticleThe American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene2018
Shortage of Albendazole and Its Consequences for Patients with Cystic Echinococcosis Treated at a Referral Center in Italy.
Article in The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of different management strategies on outcomes in subarachnoid neurocysticercosis: a descriptive, multicentre, retrospective cohort study in the USA.EClinicalMedicine · 2026Article
- A case for adoption of continuous albendazole treatment regimen for human echinococcal infections.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2020Article
- Evaluation of direct costs associated with alveolar and cystic echinococcosis in Austria.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2019Article
- Echinococcosis and Albendazole: A Case for Suitable Treatment.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2018Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Albendazole (ABZ) is the best drug available to treat cystic echinococcosis (CE), a neglected tropical disease. Cystic echinococcosis patients often receive a continuous course of the drug for 6-12 months. In Italy, ABZ shortages occur almost on a yearly basis. We searched clinical records at the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for the Clinical Management of CE in Pavia, Italy, to estimate the amount of ABZ prescribed to patients between January 2012 and February 2017. The cost of ABZ was estimated at €2.25 per tablet based on the current market price in Italy. Patients to whom ABZ had been prescribed were contacted to determine if they had experienced difficulties in purchasing the drug and to assess how such problems affected their treatment. Of 348 identified CE patients, 127 (36.5%) were treated with ABZ for a total of 20,576 days. This led to an estimated cost of €92,592. Seventy-five patients were available for follow-up, 42 (56%) reported difficulties in obtaining ABZ. Of these patients, four (9.5%) had to search out of their region and 10 (23.8%) had to go out of the country. A total of 27 patients (64%) had to visit more than five pharmacies to locate the drug and 10 patients (23.8%) interrupted treatment because of ABZ nonavailability. Shortages in ABZ distribution can disrupt CE treatment schedules and jeopardize patient health.
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