Praziquantel

The global demand for the prevention and control of parasitic diseases is long-term and stable. Among them, helminth infections such as schistosomiasis and cysticercosis remain key public health issues in tropical and subtropical developing countries. Praziquantel is a core product in the field of broad-spectrum anthelmintic drugs. By increasing the permeability of the parasite cell membrane to calcium ions, it causes spastic paralysis of the parasite muscles and damage to the cortex, making it lose the ability to attach to the host and then be eliminated. Its clinical indications cover infections of schistosoma, clonorchis sinensis, paragonimus, tapeworm and cysticercus. It is currently the first-line treatment for schistosomiasis recommended by WHO, and the applicable population covers the general population in endemic areas for routine mass treatment as well as adult and pediatric patients with confirmed infections.

At present, the annual global market size of praziquantel exceeds 1.2 billion yuan. Driven by the prevention and control policies in tropical endemic areas and the demand for antiparasitics in animal husbandry, the compound growth rate in the past three years has remained at around 4.2%. The domestic market pattern is dominated by generic drugs, and there are more than 20 approved preparation enterprises. Since 2021, many provinces have included praziquantel tablets in local centralized procurement, with an average price reduction of 68% for the selected products. The upstream API supply is dominated by domestic enterprises, whose supply accounts for more than 75% of the global production capacity.

The original developer of praziquantel is Bayer AG from Germany, with the original brand name Cesol. The core compound patent expired globally in 1982. The mainstream dosage form of the original marketed product is oral tablet, with two specifications of 200mg and 600mg. The 200mg dosage form has been included in the FDA Reference Listed Drug Catalog, and the domestic Reference Listed Drug Catalog has also included this specification of the original product. At present, more than 15 domestic enterprises have obtained CDE registration numbers for praziquantel APIs, all of which are in status A (can be used in marketed preparations). Meanwhile, more than 30 praziquantel oral preparations have been approved for marketing, including ordinary tablets, sustained-release tablets and other dosage forms. (Data as of October 2025, please refer to the official CDE website for the latest information)

In the process of quality research and compliance declaration of APIs and preparations, the accessibility of impurity reference substances directly affects R&D efficiency and declaration success rate. CATO provides a full set of praziquantel impurity reference standards. Most products are available from stock. Spot orders placed before 16:00 can be shipped on the same day. All products meet the requirements of multiple regulatory systems such as the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and FDA, and can fully meet the quality control needs of enterprises throughout the cycle from R&D to marketing.