[Clinical trial of niclofolan (Bay 9015) in the treatment of human opisthorchiasis. Apropos of 51 cases].

51 refugees from South east Asia infected with Opisthorchis viverrini or Clonorchis sinensis were included in a therapeutic study with Niclofolan (Bay 9015) at a dose of 1 mg/kg body weight given three times at intervals of 48 hours. Clinical and biological tolerance was carefully controlled and in all cases proved to be very good or excellent particularly in several patients with various haemoglobinopathies or erythrocytal enzymopathies (G-6-PD deficiency). Of the total of 51 cases, 17 were cured. These comprised mainly those with light or moderate infections (less than 10,000 eggs/gram stool). Treatment was, however, not effective in the more severe infections, even when repeated after an interval of 30 days. Between day 30 and 60 after treatment, only a transitory reduction of eggs/gram stool was observed, these values increasing again after day 90. Niclofolan did not reveal to be the ideal treatment of opisthorchiasis. Nevertheless its excellent tolerance should be pointed out which justifies its tentative application in light infections and above all its use in the treatment of paragonimiasis against which it appears to be one of the best drugs available at present.