Tapeworm drug shows promise for treating endometriosis in mice

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 20 Oct, 04:20 · Archive

A tapeworm medication has reduced inflammation and slowed lesion growth in mice with endometriosis, a painful condition affecting millions of women worldwide.

Scientists have discovered that niclosamide, a drug used for decades to treat tapeworms, may help treat endometriosis, a painful condition affecting about 190 million women worldwide and 1.5 million in the UK. In a study published in August in the journal Advanced Healthcare Material, researchers fitted the FDA-approved medication with nanotech technology and tested it in mice, finding it reduced inflammation and slowed or prevented the spread of lesions that grow outside the uterus.

Endometriosis occurs when tissue that normally lines the womb spreads to other parts of the body, including the ovaries, bowel, and bladder. This tissue swells and bleeds during menstruation, causing inflammation, pain and scar tissue build-up. It is also one of the most common conditions linked to female infertility, with poor awareness meaning it takes an average of more than nine years for women to receive a diagnosis.

Current treatments range from painkillers and hormonal contraceptives to surgery to remove excess tissue or, in severe cases, the womb and ovaries. However, these medications often cause side effects such as nausea and mood swings, and lesions can regrow after surgery. Niclosamide works by targeting a unique chemical label called a folate receptor found in rogue immune cells specific to endometrial lesion tissue that drive growth and inflammation.

How it is being reported

• How a drug for TAPEWORM could end the crippling pain of endometriosisNiclosamide has been used for decades to kill the gut parasites, starving them to death by shutting off their supply of glucose, their main energy sourceDaily Mail · 19 Oct, 23:44
• Tapeworm drug could help treat incurable disease that affects 190 million womenMedication used for little larvae could provide relief for a disease with debilitating pain and no cure that experts have deemed a clinical failure for millions of women.New York Post · 18 Oct, 16:01

In this story: Endometriosis UK · Advanced Healthcare Material · FDA · United States · United Kingdom

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