The role of nutrition in integrated programs to control neglected tropical diseases

Table 2 The cost of single dose treatments for some neglected tropical diseases and of several treatments for malnutrition.

Disease or condition	Treatment	Unit	Annual treatment	Cost in USD of treatments^a
Intestinal nematode worms	Albendazole	400 mg tab	1-2 tabs	0.02 - 0.04^b
	Mebendazole	500 mg tab	1-2 tabs	0.03 - 0.06^b
Schistosomiasis	Praziquantel	600 mg tab	1-3 tabs	0.10 - 0.30
Onchocerciasis	Ivermectin	3 mg tab	1-3 tabs	1.50 - 4.50^c
Trachoma	Azithromycin	500 mg tab	0.5-2.0 tabs	0.11 - 0.44
Vitamin A deficiency	Retinol	200,000 IU capsule	2 capsules, 1 every 6 months	0.04
Micronutrient deficiencies	Multiple micronutrients^d	Tablets	24-36 tabs over 3 months	0.39 - 0.59
Thinness and micronutrient deficiencies in schoolchildren	Micronutrient fortified biscuits for school feeding	Approx 75 g (300 kcal) per day	200 days per year	2.66 - 15.92^e
Wasting and growth faltering in children aged 1-5 years	Ready-to-use therapeutic food	92 g (500 kcal) per sachet	30-60 sachets per child	10.80 - 21.60

^aPurchase costs of treatments except ivermectin from UNICEF Supply Branch, June 2011.
^bNow available free from GSK by application through the WHO.
^cNominal list price from Merck, but free under Mectizan donation program [51].
^dFormulation for pregnant women, so typically given two to three times a week to school-age children.
^ePurchase costs derived from Gelli et al. [52] using WFP data; range is for different countries.

ISSN: 1741-7015