Mebendazole compared with secnidazole in the treatment of adult giardiasis: A randomised,no-inferiority,open clinical trial

To compare the efficacy and safety of mebendazole and secnidazole in the treatment of giardiasis in adult patients,a single-centre,parallel group,open-label,randomized non-inferiority trial was carried out. one-hundred and 26 participants who had symptomatic giardia mono-infection took part in the study. direct wet mount and/or ritchie concentration techniques and physical examinations were conducted at the time of enrolment and at the follow-up visit. the primary outcome measure was parasitological cure,performed at 3,5,10 days post-treatment. negative faecal specimens for giardia were ensured by the same parasitological techniques. at follow up (day 10) the parasitological cure rate for the per protocol populations was 88.7 (55/62) for mbz and 91.8 (56/61) for snz. for the intention to treat populations the cure rate at the end of treatment was 85.9 (55/64) for mbz and 90.3 (56/62) for snz. both analyzes showed there was not significant statistical difference between mbz and snz treatment efficacy. both drugs were well tolerated,only mild,transient and self-limited side effects were reported and did not require discontinuation of treatment. a 3-day course of mebendazole seems to be as efficacious and safe for treatment of giardiasis as a single dose of secnidazole in adults. copyright © 2011 pedro almirall et al.