ALBENZA (albendazole) is an orally administered anthelmintic drug. Chemically, it is methyl 5¬ (propylthio)-2-benzimidazolecarbamate, is indicated to treatment of parenchymal neurocysticercosis due to active lesions caused by larval forms of the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium. In addition, treatment of cystic hydatid disease of the liver, lung, and peritoneum, caused by the larval form of the dog tapeworm, Echinococcus granulosus. Albendazole binds to the colchicine-sensitive site of β-tubulin inhibiting their polymerization into microtubules. The decrease in microtubules in the intestinal cells of the parasites decreases their absorptive function, especially the uptake of glucose by the adult and larval forms of the parasites, and depletes glycogen storage. Insufficient glucose results in insufficient energy for the production of adenosine trisphosphate (ATP) and the parasite eventually dies. Albendazole developed in 1975. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most important medications needed in a basic health system. The incidence of side effects reported in the published literature is very low, with only gastrointestinal side effects occurring with an overall frequency of just >1% . Albendazole's unique broad-spectrum activity is exemplified in the overall cure rates calculated from studies employing the recommended doses for hookworm (78% in 68 studies: 92%, for A. duodenale in 23 studies and 75% for N. americanus in 30 studies), A. lumbricoides (95% in 64 studies), T. trichiura (48% in 57 studies), E. vermicularis (98% in 27 studies), S. stercoralis (62% in 19 studies), H. nana (68% in 11 studies), and Taenia spp. (85% in 7 studies).

Carbendazim is a broad-spectrum benzimidazole antifungal with potential antimitotic and antineoplastic activities widely used as a fungicide in agriculture and home gardening, and as an antihelminthic in veterinary medicine. As a fungicide, carbendazim used for controls Ascomycetes, Fungi Imperfecti, and Basidiomycetes on a wide variety of crops, including bananas, cereals, cotton, fruits, grapes, mushrooms, ornamentals, peanuts, sugarbeet, soybeans, tobacco, and vegetables. Carbendazim is a chemically stable and relatively persistent fungicide which only metabolizes to a limited extent in plants and in soil. The only detected metabolite is 2-aminobenzimidazole, which constitutes less than 5% of the total residues in leaves. Carbendazim may be anticipated to metabolize in the animal into hydroxylated analogues which may appear in meat and milk products. Carbendazim acts as a mitotic poison by altering tubulin binding and microtubule formation. This has been proposed as a possible mechanism of action for the developmental abnormalities seen in animal studies with high concentrations.