1. Global health — not “only USA”
Ivermectin comes from Japanese soil-bacteria research (Ōmura) and mass use against river blindness and filariasis in Africa and Latin America via WHO programs. Nobel 2015 recognized that global benefit.
- WHO Essential Medicines List — ivermectin
- MDA (mass drug administration) in endemic countries
- Mebendazole/albendazole: backbone of global deworming
2. East Asia — Korea, China, Japan
- Korea: FBZ social phenomenon; Heo JKMS; Park 2022; Chai 2021 albendazole/mebendazole update; Chang PLGA nanoparticles.
- China: Tang IVM review; Lei FBZ cervical cancer; multiple mechanism papers.
- Japan: Ōmura/Kitasato avermectins; toxicology literature (e.g. fenbendazole as tumor promoter after initiator in some rat models).
3. South Asia — India
- Patil 2022 phase II MBZ recurrent GBM (Tata Memorial centers).
- Ayurveda & integrative oncology discourse (modern hybrids with curcumin etc.) — IVM/FBZ/MBZ are not classical Ayurvedic herbs.
4. Middle East & North Africa
- Egypt Hegazy / NCT03925662: MBZ + FOLFOX/bevacizumab mCRC (small single-center RCT).
- Australia (often missed in “US-EU” story): Pourgholami/Morris albendazole phase I and pilots.
5. Latin America & patient-driven use
Deep roots of IVM in regional public health; surveys (e.g. Ecuador) of cancer patients using IVM as adjunct — reality of self-care, not proof of effect.
6. Africa
IVM and MBZ/albendazole are primarily life-saving antiparasitics. Access and justice arguments for repurposing; Loa loa risk remains essential African safety knowledge.
7. TCM & the “parasite hypothesis”
TCM has its own cancer and “toxin/parasite” concepts. IVM/FBZ/MBZ are modern synthetics — not classical TCM herbs. Patients often mix biomedicine + TCM + repurposed drugs. Analogy ≠ proof.
8. Integrative oncology & folk protocols
Worldwide combinations: FBZ/MBZ/IVM + curcumin + CBD + vitamins + diet. ReDO project lists mebendazole as a candidate.
9. Sibling molecules
- Albendazole — more used in tropical medicine; cancer phase I (Pourgholami/Morris)
- Flubendazole — preclinical breast/leukemia
- Niclosamide, nitazoxanide — other antiparasitics in repurposing literature