Name: Zentel
SKU: 7169
Availability: InStock

🏷️ Attribute	🔎 Detail
Generic Name	Albendazole
Therapeutic Class	Broad‑spectrum anthelmintic (benzimidazole)
Indications	Soil‑transmitted helminths, neuro‑cysticercosis, hydatid disease, pinworm, giardiasis (off‑label)
Indian Brand	Zentel™ 400 mg Chewable Tablet
Manufacturer	GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Mumbai, India (est. 1924)
Reference WHO EML	Section 6.1: Anthelmintics (Albendazole 400 mg)
Presentation	Single chewable tablet per PVC‑Alu blister strip
Assay (IP 2024 spec)	95 – 105 % of label claim
Global Dispatch Time	6 – 15 days ✈️

“Albendazole remains the WHO gold standard for mass deworming, and GSK’s Zentel™ sets the pharmacopeial benchmark.” — Dr Priya Narayanan, DTM&H, Consultant Infectious Diseases, London & Chennai

🧪 How Albendazole Works

🔬 Mechanism Step	Clinical Impact
Selective binding to β‑tubulin in helminths	Inhibits microtubule polymerisation, starving parasite cells
↓ Glucose uptake & ATP production	Lethal glycogen depletion → immobilisation
Ovicidal activity vs Ascaris & hookworm eggs	Prevents reinfection cycles

Albendazole is metabolised hepatically to albendazole‑sulfoxide, active in systemic infections such as neuro‑cysticercosis.

2024 Lancet Global Health meta‑analysis (52 trials, n = 34 897) confirmed Zentel™ bioequivalence and mean egg‑reduction rate >96 % vs placebo.

🏭 GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd — Indian Legacy

1924: Founded as H. K. Mulford India; merged into GSK lineages.
1973: Launch of first Indian anthelmintic campaign using Zentel™.
2003: WHO pre‑qualification for albendazole donation (Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis).
2023: Crossed 10 billion tablets donated worldwide.
2025: New Navi Mumbai oral‑solids site achieves US‑FDA & MHRA approval with continuous‑manufacturing Albendazole line.

Zentel™ chewables use hot‑melt extrusion for taste‑masking; assay 99.3 % at 24‑month stability (ICH Q1A).

🌍 Importing Zentel™ to Your Region

🌎 Region	Legal Status	Customs Tip	Typical Landed Price*
🇺🇸 USA	OTC (≤3 tabs personal)	Declare “antiparasitic chewable, HS 30049091”	$1.15 / tab
🇬🇧 UK	Pharmacy (P)	CN22; VAT waived if <£39	£0.95 / tab
🇦🇺 AU	Schedule 2 (Pharmacist)	TGA personal‑import; ≤3‑month supply	A$1.70 / tab
🇪🇺 EU	OTC	CE268/2022 code 30049091	€1.05 / tab

Q2 2025 median e‑commerce price (NGO & retail blended)

✈️ Backpacker Hack: Pack tablets in original foil to show batch/expiry at border health checks.

🏷️ Indian Companion Anti‑parasite Brands (Internal Links)

Bendex – Albendazole 400 mg by Cipla; chewable orange‑flavour.
Wormin – Mebendazole 100 mg by Cadila; paediatric worm treatment.
Niclosamide – Niclosamide 500 mg by Kachhela; tapeworm killer.
Ivecop – Ivermectin 12 mg by Menarini; scabies & STH combo.
Praziquantel – Praziquantel 600 mg by Lupin; schistosomiasis therapy.

💲 Price Ladder (₹ → USD @ ₹83/USD)

Qty (tabs)	FOB Mumbai	Reg. Airmail	Landed 🇺🇸	Save vs US OTC
10	₹150	₹580	$8.80	50 % ↓
50	₹650	₹620	$16.10	70 % ↓
100	₹1 200	₹750	$25.75	75 % ↓

📜 Dosing Playbook

Infection	Age / Weight	Dose	Notes
Roundworm, hookworm, whipworm	≥2 yrs	400 mg × 1	Chew & swallow; no fasting needed
Pinworm (Enterobius)	≥2 yrs	400 mg, repeat day 14	Treat household contacts
Neuro‑cysticercosis	≥60 kg	400 mg bid×8–30 days	Pair with 0.1 mg/kg dexamethasone
Hydatid cyst	≥6 yrs	400 mg bid×28 days, 2 cycles	LFT every fortnight

Take with fatty meal to ↑ systemic sulfoxide levels when treating tissue infections.

🚦 Safety Dashboard

Tier	Adverse Event	Mitigation
🟢 Mild	Nausea, abdo pain	Take with food, divide dose
🟡 Moderate	Transient LFT rise	Monitor ALT/AST q2wk; continue if <2× ULN
🔴 Severe	Agranulocytosis, hepatitis	Stop immediately; CBC & LFT panel, hospitalise

Contraindication: Pregnancy (especially 1st trimester). Advise reliable contraception & negative β‑hCG before hydatid protocols.

❄️ Storage & Backpack Hacks

Store 15 – 30 °C; keep blister in carton to block UV.
Monsoon travel: add silica sachet; Albendazole is hygroscopic.
Trekking? Strip weight 0.8 g—minimal pack burden.

👩‍⚕️ Dr Priya Narayanan’s Verdict

“In 11 schools across Tamil Nadu, Zentel™ 400 mg achieved egg‑reduction rates of 98 % for Ascaris and 94 % for hookworm in just one round—matching WHO targets while maintaining palatability and zero serious adverse events.”