What clinical trials are currently enrolling that test ivermectin or fenbendazole in cancer patients?
Executive summary
As of the reporting found, the only documented, actively recruiting human clinical research testing ivermectin in cancer patients is a phase 1/2 immunotherapy combination trial (listed on ClinicalTrials.gov and by the NCI), while fenbendazole has no registered, rigorously controlled human cancer trials and remains untested in clinical oncology studies (ClinicalTrials.gov; NCI; American Cancer Society) [1] [2] [3]. Numerous preclinical studies and anecdotal reports have driven public interest, but they have not translated into multiple, large-scale randomized trials for either drug [4] [5] [6].
1. What trials of ivermectin are actually enrolling — the hard facts
Clinical trial registries and the National Cancer Institute identify at least one actively listed phase 1/2 study that adds ivermectin to immune‑checkpoint therapy for metastatic triple‑negative breast cancer; this trial is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and described in NCI trial listings as testing ivermectin combined with immunotherapy in cancer patients [1] [2]. Reporting from a cancer news source corroborates that there is “only one active phase 1/2 clinical trial” testing ivermectin with immunotherapy in metastatic TNBC, and it was expected to complete by 2026, underscoring the sparse clinical pipeline so far [7].
2. What fenbendazole trials are enrolling — none confirmed
Authoritative patient‑facing and cancer‑society summaries report that fenbendazole has not been tested in humans as a cancer treatment in registered clinical trials and that rigorous human trials are lacking, meaning there are no confirmed, properly controlled enrolling trials of fenbendazole for cancer in the sources reviewed [3] [6]. Specialist and integrative websites that promote fenbendazole collect case reports and protocols, but those sources do not substitute for registered clinical trials and often acknowledge a lack of randomized clinical evidence [8] [9] [10].
3. Why only a few trials — the preclinical/clinical gap explained
Preclinical literature shows ivermectin and benzimidazole anthelmintics (including fenbendazole) can induce anti‑cancer effects in cell lines and animal models via multiple mechanisms, but reviewers and systematic summaries emphasize that these laboratory results have not yet translated into robust human trial evidence, which explains why clinical activity is limited to a small number of early‑phase studies for ivermectin and essentially none for fenbendazole [4] [5] [11] [12].
4. The public debate, anecdote, and misinformation — what to watch for
Public enthusiasm fueled by podcasts, celebrity anecdotes, compilations of “success stories,” and integrative medicine blogs has amplified claims about cures and case series, yet major cancer organizations and evidence reviews caution that such anecdotes are not clinical proof and can mislead patients away from proven therapies; multiple sources explicitly flag missing randomized trials and the risk of uncontrolled anecdotal reports [6] [3] [13]. Even outlets sympathetic to repurposing note ethical tensions when physicians consider off‑label use to “meet patients halfway” versus the obligation to base treatment on evidence [14].
5. Bottom line for researchers and patients
The current, evidence‑based landscape in the provided reporting is straightforward: ivermectin has at least one registered, actively recruiting early‑phase trial in combination with immunotherapy for metastatic triple‑negative breast cancer as documented on ClinicalTrials.gov and by the NCI, while fenbendazole lacks registered human cancer trials and remains supported mainly by preclinical studies and anecdote [1] [2] [3] [6]. The literature repeatedly calls for rigorously designed clinical trials to determine safety, dosing, and efficacy before these antiparasitic agents can be recommended in oncology outside research settings [11] [12].