Emodepside
A veterinary dewormer that works in a new way, now being tested in people against whipworm, hookworm, Strongyloides and river blindness
Emodepside is a semi-synthetic cyclic depsipeptide made from a fungal compound. It paralyses worms by opening a potassium channel in their nerves and muscles, a target no older dewormer uses, so it works on worms resistant to other drugs. It is sold only for cats and dogs. Since 2014 it has been developed for people: in phase 1 it was absorbed quickly and stayed in the body for weeks, and single oral doses cured most whipworm, hookworm and Strongyloides infections in phase 2 trials, with blurred vision, headache and dizziness as the common, mostly mild side effects. It is not approved for human use anywhere.
Used in human trials: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 mg, Single dose, Oral (Study: whipworm and hookworm, adults, phase 2a dose-ranging) Details ↓
Recommended Dosing
Used in human trials
No manufacturer dose exists for this use: these are amounts given in published trials, not recommendations.
What is it?
Emodepside belongs to the cyclooctadepsipeptides, ring-shaped molecules in which amino acids and hydroxy acids alternate. The first, PF1022A, came from a fungus living on camellia leaves. Emodepside is PF1022A with a morpholine ring added to each of its two phenyllactic acids. Unlike the three classic families of dewormers, it paralyses worms through a different target, and in sheep and cattle it killed worms resistant to benzimidazoles, levamisole and ivermectin. It came into use for pets: in the US it is sold only for cats, with praziquantel, as Profender, and in the EU as Profender, Procox and Felpreva.
Its main target is SLO-1, a calcium-activated potassium channel in worm nerves and muscle. Opening it quiets the cells and paralyses the worm. People have a related channel, and that is the main safety question for human use. In worms engineered to carry the human channel instead of their own, emodepside was 10 to 100 times less potent, and in cells it strongly boosted the worm channel's current while only briefly boosting and then partly blocking the human one.
Human development began in 2014, when Bayer and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) set out to test it against onchocerciasis, or river blindness. Ivermectin, the standard drug, kills the larvae but not the long-lived adult worms, so control programmes must run for decades. In cattle infected with Onchocerca ochengi, the closest relative of the human parasite, emodepside cleared larvae quickly, suppressed reproduction and killed adult worms by 18 months. Phase 1 studies in healthy men then found it absorbed quickly from an oral solution, with blood levels rising in proportion to the dose and a terminal half-life of more than 500 hours. Modelling of those studies linked side effects to peak blood levels and was used to choose a regimen for patients. A phase 2 trial in people with onchocerciasis (NCT05180461) registers single-day and multi-day tablet courses against ivermectin; it has posted no results.
Meanwhile an academic team tested it against intestinal worms. In two phase 2a trials in adults, a single oral dose of 5 mg cured 85% of whipworm infections, against 17% with albendazole, and 30 mg cured 95% of hookworm infections. A phase 2b trial on Pemba Island, Tanzania, confirmed 30 mg beat albendazole for hookworm (cure rate 96.6% against 81.2%). In Laos, single doses also cured most Strongyloides infections, matching ivermectin from 15 mg up. ClinicalTrials.gov lists phase 3 trials against mebendazole in soil-transmitted worm infections.
The price is side effects. Blurred vision, headache, dizziness and, in the Laos trial, sleepiness were common within hours of a dose and grew more frequent at higher doses; almost all were mild and none was serious. A 2024 review of its safety notes that its long half-life and its action on a channel people share mean monitoring must continue. Emodepside is approved only as a veterinary drug, and veterinary products and amounts are not a human dose. The amounts below are from human trials only.
Mechanism of Action
Emodepside paralyses worms by acting on SLO-1, a calcium-activated potassium channel in their nerves and muscle. The human version of the channel responds much less, which is the basis of its selectivity and the focus of its safety monitoring.
Opens worm SLO-1 channels
Strongly increases potassium current through the worm channel, quieting nerves and muscle (PMIDs 26437177, 34077488).
Paralysis and death
Kills larval and adult stages of many nematodes, including adult filarial worms in cattle (PMIDs 31088525, 34077488).
Weaker on the human channel
Worms carrying the human channel were 10 to 100 times less sensitive (PMID 21415309); the human channel was briefly boosted, then partly inhibited (PMID 26437177).
Published Research
These are studies of emodepside itself, read from their PubMed abstracts: the human phase 1 and phase 2 trials, pharmacokinetic modelling, reviews of its development and safety, work on its potassium-channel target, and animal studies, including two veterinary field trials. Veterinary products also contain praziquantel, toltrazuril or tigolaner; their animal amounts are not human doses and are not repeated here.
Whipworm and hookworm, phase 2a
Two dose-ranging trials gave adults a single oral dose of emodepside (5 to 30 mg), albendazole 400 mg or placebo. Against whipworm, 5 mg had a predicted cure rate of 85%, against 10% for placebo and an observed 17% for albendazole. Against hookworm, cure rose with dose from 32% at 5 mg to 95% at 30 mg, against 70% with albendazole. Headache, blurred vision and dizziness were common, mostly mild, and none serious.
Hookworm, phase 2b on Pemba Island
293 people aged 12 to 60 with hookworm received a single 30 mg dose of emodepside or albendazole 400 mg. Emodepside cured 96.6% against 81.2%. Blurred vision three hours after the dose affected 39% of emodepside patients, and headache 38%; 93% of its adverse events were mild and none was serious. The authors called for weighing its efficacy against these effects.
Strongyloides in Laos, phase 2a
202 adults with Strongyloides stercoralis received single doses of emodepside (5 to 30 mg), ivermectin or placebo. Predicted cure was 78.3% at 5 mg and plateaued at 89.1% from 15 mg, against 88.0% observed with ivermectin and 0% with placebo. Sleepiness three hours after dosing was the most common event, up to 68% at 30 mg, with blurred vision and dizziness; none was serious.
Phase 1 in healthy men
Two placebo-controlled studies gave 79 men single doses of 1 to 40 mg and 24 men 10 days of 5 or 10 mg once daily or 10 mg twice daily, as an oral solution. Absorption was rapid and dose-proportional, the terminal half-life exceeded 500 hours, food slowed absorption without changing total exposure, and an early tablet was absorbed less well. Safety was acceptable at the doses tested.
Modelling dose for river blindness
Pooling 142 volunteers from three phase 1 studies, the authors described emodepside with a three-compartment model in which body weight, food and formulation changed absorption. Drug-related side effects were transient and mild or moderate, and their odds rose with peak plasma concentration. The model was used to propose a weight-based regimen for the onchocerciasis phase 2 trial.
PCR re-check of the trial cures
Re-analysing stool samples from the emodepside trials with quantitative PCR, which is more sensitive than the standard Kato-Katz smear, gave lower cure rates for every dose of emodepside and for albendazole, but emodepside still cured more whipworm and roundworm infections than albendazole.
From pet dewormer to river blindness candidate
This review explains why a drug that kills or sterilises adult Onchocerca worms is needed, how two decades of industry and academic work defined emodepside's mode of action and broad activity, and how the Bayer and DNDi partnership begun in 2014 took it through phase 1 toward a phase 2 trial.
Mode of action and toxicity
This mini-review summarises emodepside's pharmacokinetics, safety and toxicity in animals and people as it is trialled against onchocerciasis, whipworm and hookworm, and concludes that its safety looks favourable but needs continued monitoring, especially in vulnerable groups.
Why it spares the human channel
Worms whose own SLO-1 channel was replaced by the human version (KCNMA1) moved normally but were 10 to 100 times less sensitive to emodepside, and making muscle express the worm channel made it sensitive, consistent with emodepside acting directly on the worm channel.
Worm, fly and human channels compared
In cells expressing each channel, emodepside strongly boosted the worm SLO-1 current, while the human channel showed a brief boost followed by sustained inhibition of about half, supporting a strong worm-selective activation as the basis of its effect.
Combinations with other dewormers
Against several worm species in the dish, emodepside's interactions with albendazole, macrocyclic lactones and other dewormers depended on species and life stage, ranging from strong synergy to antagonism. Assays with human cytochrome P450 enzymes showed no relevant drug-drug interactions.
River blindness model in cattle
Emodepside acted equally on the SLO-1 channels of the human parasite Onchocerca volvulus and its cattle relative O. ochengi. In infected cattle, single and 7-day courses cleared larvae fast, suppressed female worm reproduction for a long time and killed adult worms by 18 months; some adult females kept metabolic activity. Only a transient rise in blood glucose was seen.
Models of human intestinal worms
In the dish, emodepside killed larvae and adults of whipworm, hookworm, Heligmosomoides and Strongyloides model species, and was much weaker against schistosomes. Given by mouth, it cured hamsters of hookworm and was highly active against whipworm in mice.
Early rodent studies
As BAY 44-4400, emodepside acted strongly against adult stages of three rodent gut nematodes and against lung and gut larval stages of two of them, while gut larvae of the third were only partly affected at higher doses.
Field trials in cats
In two randomised, blinded field studies in Europe and North America, the emodepside-praziquantel spot-on (Profender) cleared more than 98% of roundworm eggs and nearly all tapeworm signs in cats, comparable to selamectin-based controls, with only brief mild reactions in a few cats.
Laboratory studies in dogs
Nine randomised, placebo-controlled studies in dogs found the emodepside-toltrazuril oral suspension (Procox) fully effective against adult Toxocara canis and Uncinaria, at least 99.5% effective against adult Ancylostoma caninum, and highly effective against immature roundworm stages.
Dosing Data
Emodepside is approved only for cats and dogs, and their products and amounts are not a human dose. These rows are the single oral doses and phase 1 courses given to people in published trials, as stated in their abstracts. The onchocerciasis phase 2 trial (NCT05180461) has posted no results and has no row.
Educational information, not medical advice. Each dose above is tagged with its source: an approved label, a published human study, animal data, or amounts reported by users. None is a recommendation for you. An unapproved compound has no established safe or effective human dose, and products sold for “research use only” are not made or tested for people. Talk to a doctor before acting on anything on this site, including before you start, stop or change any medicine or dose. Full medical disclaimer.
What a Buyer Needs to Know
What is sold, how it is mixed, stored and taken, and what is known about its safety, quality and legal status. Each part names its source. Where we have none, it says unknown.
What is sold
No product is approved for people. The approved veterinary product, as its US veterinary label describes it:
- Profender (2-(cyclohexylcarbonyl -1) (veterinary): Packages the label lists: 0.35 mL tube, 0.7 mL tube and 1.12 mL tube.
Source: Profender (2-(cyclohexylcarbonyl -1) veterinary label, package list (DailyMed version 4, effective November 4, 2025).
Mixing a vial: a worked example
No worked example: none of the doses on this page is a fixed amount in mg or mcg injected under the skin or into a muscle (the routes given are: oral, oral solution, oral tablets). There is no home-mixing step to show. The reconstitution calculator does the arithmetic for any vial.
Source: the route and amount of each dose row in Dosing Data below.
Storage before and after mixing
No product of Emodepside is approved for people. The US veterinary label of the approved animal product says how it is stored:
Profender (2-(cyclohexylcarbonyl -1) (veterinary): “Store at or below 77º F (25º C).” “Protect from freezing.”
These describe the veterinary product in its own container, not a vial sold for people. The mixing guide sets out the general rules for a mixed vial, with their sources.
Source: Profender (2-(cyclohexylcarbonyl -1) veterinary label, storage section (DailyMed version 4, effective November 4, 2025).
How it is taken
As it was given in human studies: Oral (Single dose; Study: whipworm and hookworm, adults, phase 2a dose-ranging); Oral tablets (Single dose; Study: hookworm, ages 12 to 60, phase 2b (Pemba Island)); Oral solution (Daily; Study: healthy men, phase 1 multiple ascending dose).
For injection technique, sites and needle disposal, see the mixing guide.
Source: Used in human trials: the route and frequency of each row in Dosing Data below.
What to expect, and when
How long it stays in the body: a half-life of more than 500 hours (terminal). After about five half-lives almost none is left.
How long the doses were given: Study: whipworm and hookworm, adults, phase 2a dose-ranging: One day; cure checked at 14 to 21 days; Study: hookworm, ages 12 to 60, phase 2b (Pemba Island): One day; Study: Strongyloides stercoralis, adults, phase 2a dose-ranging (Laos): One day; cure checked at 14 to 21 days.
When effects appear: unknown; no source on this page gives a time to effect for Emodepside. Results reported in the studies are under Published Research.
Source: half-life: PMID 33759250; Used in human trials, the duration of each row in Dosing Data below.
Side effects, and when to stop or get help
From the Side Effects section: Blurred vision and other visual disturbances, the most common event at 3 hours in the hookworm trial (39%) and dose-related (PMIDs 39153818, 40580974); Headache and dizziness (PMIDs 37195942, 39153818); Sleepiness, in 36% to 68% of treated adults at 3 hours in the Strongyloides trial (PMID 40580974); Side effects more likely with higher peak blood levels (PMID 35271567); no serious adverse events in the published phase 2 trials. Full list and cautions ↓
When to stop or get help: unknown; no label or trial on file sets rules for stopping Emodepside. Treat a severe or unexpected reaction as a reason to stop and see a doctor.
Source: the Side Effects section below (“From the human trials above; effects appeared within hours of a single dose and were mostly mild”).
Interactions
Unknown: a PubMed search for human interaction studies of Emodepside (reviewed 2026-10-28) found none. Unknown is not the same as safe to combine.
Every peptide's record, with its source: the interaction matrix.
Checking what you bought
Unknown: no published independent test of Emodepside products is in our lab-results database yet, so how products sold under this name measure up is not known.
To read a certificate of analysis, paste it into the COA decoder; it checks the measured mass against Emodepside's expected mass, 1,119.4 Da, from this entry's molecular data. Trust & Verification explains what independent testing can and cannot show.
Legal status
US: Veterinary Only (Approved only for animals). Sport: Prohibited (S0 catch-all).
Country by country ↓ · Regulatory tracker
Source: this entry's approval status and the WADA Prohibited List, as in Legal Status below.
Side Effects & Contraindications
Reported Side Effects
From the human trials above; effects appeared within hours of a single dose and were mostly mild.
Contraindications & Cautions
No human product label exists. These cautions follow from the evidence.
Legal Status
Emodepside is a veterinary medicine that is investigational in people.
Frequently Asked Questions
?What is emodepside?
A semi-synthetic, ring-shaped depsipeptide dewormer made from a fungal compound. It is used in cats and dogs and is being tested in people against worm infections.
?Is emodepside approved for people?
No. It is approved only as part of veterinary products for cats and dogs. In people it is still in clinical trials.
?How well did it work in human trials?
Single doses cured most infections: 85% of whipworm cases at 5 mg, 95% to 97% of hookworm cases at 30 mg, and most Strongyloides cases from 15 mg, beating albendazole for whipworm and hookworm.
?What are its side effects in people?
Blurred vision, headache, dizziness and sleepiness within hours of a dose, more often at higher doses. Nearly all were mild, and the published trials reported no serious events.
?Can the pet product be used in people?
No. The veterinary products combine emodepside with other drugs and are made and dosed for cats and dogs. The human trials used their own tablets and oral solution.
?Why is it being tested for river blindness?
Ivermectin kills the larvae of the river blindness worm but not the adults. Emodepside killed adult worms in an infected-cattle model, so it is being tested as a drug that could clear the infection.
References
- [other] PubChem CID 6918632, Emodepside: formula C60H90N6O14, molecular weight 1119.4. Read October 28, 2026. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/6918632
- [fda-pi] Profender (emodepside and praziquantel) topical solution, US FDA-approved veterinary label (description, indications and dosage; DailyMed set 31f0a4ec, version 4, effective November 4, 2025; read October 28, 2026).
- [other] US FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine, Approved Animal Drug Products (Green Book), Section 2 active-ingredient list downloaded from Animal Drugs @ FDA, read October 28, 2026: NADA 141-275, Profender, active ingredients emodepside and praziquantel. https://animaldrugsatfda.fda.gov/adafda/views/#/search
- [other] European Medicines Agency, medicines list (JSON report, downloaded October 28, 2026): Profender (emodepside, praziquantel), Procox (emodepside, toltrazuril) and Felpreva (emodepside, praziquantel, tigolaner): category veterinary, authorised.
- [registry] ClinicalTrials.gov API v2, read October 29, 2026: NCT05180461 (phase 2, onchocerciasis, status unknown, no results posted); NCT05017194 (phase 2a, whipworm and hookworm, completed); NCT05538767 (phase 2b, hookworm, completed); NCT06373835 (phase 2a, strongyloidiasis, completed); NCT06736691 and NCT06800248 (phase 3, soil-transmitted helminthiasis vs mebendazole); NCT02661178, NCT03383614, NCT03383523, NCT06412926 (phase 1).
- [clinical-trial] Mrimi EC, et al. "Emodepside for Trichuris trichiura and Hookworm Infection." N Engl J Med, 2023;388(20):1863-1875. PMID: 37195942.
- [clinical-trial] Taylor L, et al. "Efficacy and safety of emodepside compared with albendazole in adolescents and adults with hookworm infection in Pemba Island, Tanzania: a double-blind, superiority, phase 2b, randomised controlled trial." Lancet, 2024;404(10453):683-691. PMID: 39153818.
- [clinical-trial] Taylor L, et al. "Efficacy and safety of ascending doses of emodepside in comparison with ivermectin in adults infected with Strongyloides stercoralis in Laos: a phase 2a, dose-ranging, randomised, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, single-blind clinical trial." Lancet Infect Dis, 2025;25(11):1254-1264. PMID: 40580974.
- [clinical-trial] Gillon JY, et al. "Safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of emodepside, a potential novel treatment for onchocerciasis (river blindness), in healthy male subjects." Br J Clin Pharmacol, 2021;87(10):3949-3960. PMID: 33759250.
- [pubmed] Assmus F, et al. "Drug development for the treatment of onchocerciasis: Population pharmacokinetic and adverse events modeling of emodepside." PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2022;16(3):e0010219. PMID: 35271567.
- [clinical-trial] Lotz CN, et al. "Performance of real-time polymerase chain reaction and Kato-Katz for diagnosing soil-transmitted helminth infections and evaluating treatment efficacy of emodepside in randomized controlled trials." PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2025;19(2):e0012872. PMID: 39965016.
- [review] Krücken J, et al. "Development of emodepside as a possible adulticidal treatment for human onchocerciasis-The fruit of a successful industrial-academic collaboration." PLoS Pathog, 2021;17(7):e1009682. PMID: 34293063.
- [review] Njeshi CN, et al. "Emodepside: the anthelmintic's mode of action and toxicity." Front Parasitol, 2024;3:1508167. PMID: 39817180.
- [pubmed] Crisford A, et al. "Selective toxicity of the anthelmintic emodepside revealed by heterologous expression of human KCNMA1 in Caenorhabditis elegans." Mol Pharmacol, 2011;79(6):1031-43. PMID: 21415309.
- [pubmed] Crisford A, et al. "The Cyclooctadepsipeptide Anthelmintic Emodepside Differentially Modulates Nematode, Insect and Human Calcium-Activated Potassium (SLO) Channel Alpha Subunits." PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2015;9(10):e0004062. PMID: 26437177.
- [pubmed] Schärer A, et al. "In vitro in-depth characterization of emodepside in combination with key anthelmintic drugs on soil-transmitted helminths." Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 2026;:e0082526. PMID: 42848440.
- [pubmed] Bah GS, et al. "Emodepside targets SLO-1 channels of Onchocerca ochengi and induces broad anthelmintic effects in a bovine model of onchocerciasis." PLoS Pathog, 2021;17(6):e1009601. PMID: 34077488.
- [pubmed] Karpstein T, et al. "Evaluation of emodepside in laboratory models of human intestinal nematode and schistosome infections." Parasit Vectors, 2019;12(1):226. PMID: 31088525.
- [pubmed] Harder A, et al. "Activity of the cyclic depsipeptide emodepside (BAY 44-4400) against larval and adult stages of nematodes in rodents and the influence on worm survival." Parasitol Res, 2001;87(11):924-8. PMID: 11728017.
- [clinical-trial] Altreuther G, et al. "Field evaluation of the efficacy and safety of emodepside/praziquantel spot-on solution against naturally acquired nematode and cestode infections in domestic cats." Parasitol Res, 2005;97 Suppl 1:S58-S64. PMID: 16228276.
- [clinical-trial] Schimmel A, et al. "Efficacy of emodepside plus toltrazuril (Procox(®) oral suspension for dogs) against Toxocara canis, Uncinaria stenocephala and Ancylostoma caninum in dogs." Parasitol Res, 2011;109 Suppl 1:S1-8. PMID: 21739370.
- [review] Harder A, et al. "Cyclooctadepsipeptides--an anthelmintically active class of compounds exhibiting a novel mode of action." Int J Antimicrob Agents, 2003;22(3):318-31. PMID: 13678839.
Sources & Citations
Every study on this page was read from its PubMed record on October 29, 2026. Identity data come from PubChem (CID 6918632); veterinary status from the FDA Green Book, DailyMed and the EMA medicines list; human trial listings from ClinicalTrials.gov. Grey Peptides sells nothing and links to no vendor.
Medical Disclaimer: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, and nothing here is an instruction to obtain or use any compound. Talk to a licensed clinician about your own situation.