Albendazole Price in the Philippines 2026: Cost Guide & Free DOH Deworming
Quick Answer: Neither The Generics Pharmacy nor Rose Pharmacy publishes an online price for albendazole — but that's mostly beside the point, because the Department of Health gives albendazole 400mg free, twice a year, to children aged 1 to 12 through school-based and barangay mass deworming. Bought out of pocket, a single 400mg chewable tablet is typically an estimated ₱15–₱16, based on five branded generics listed on a Philippine online pharmacy marketplace. Albendazole is also one of PhilHealth's 75 GAMOT medicines, reimbursed at a fixed fee of ₱9.75 per tablet for qualified members.
About these figures: Neither The Generics Pharmacy (https://tgp.com.ph) nor Rose Pharmacy (https://www.rosepharmacy.com) lists albendazole under any brand name in its own product search, including the common brand name Zentel, checked directly on September 2, 2026. Mercury Drug and Generika publish no prices online, and Watsons blocks automated price checks. The ₱15–₱16 estimate below is compiled from five branded albendazole 400mg chewable tablets listed on medsgo.ph (HELIPROZ, MEDZOLE, and PARDAZ at ₱15.00; ZOMITHEL and AMZOL at ₱16.00), read directly from each product page on September 2, 2026 — all five were listed as out of stock at the time of this check, so treat this as budgeting guidance rather than a live quote, and confirm the actual price with a pharmacy or your prescribing clinic before you buy. GAMOT figures come from PhilHealth Circular PC2025-0013, Annex A.2, effective August 21, 2025. Last checked: September 2026.
Table of Contents
- Where can you get albendazole for free?
- How much does albendazole cost if you buy it?
- What is albendazole used for?
- Do you need a prescription for albendazole?
- Is albendazole covered by PhilHealth's GAMOT program?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
Where can you get albendazole for free?
Through the Department of Health's national mass deworming program, run twice a year for children aged 1 to 12. Under DOH Administrative Order No. 2010-0023, albendazole 400mg or mebendazole 500mg are named as the drugs of choice for mass treatment of soil-transmitted helminth infections — both are on the WHO's model list of essential medicines specifically because they're inexpensive enough to distribute at national scale. The schedule:
| Age Group | When | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Preschoolers (1–5 years) | April and October | Garantisadong Pambata campaign, barangay health centers |
| Schoolchildren (6–12 years) | January and July | Public schools, per DOH AO No. 2006-0028 |
If your child falls into either group and is reached by their school or barangay health worker during a scheduled round, albendazole costs nothing. This is a public health intervention, not a per-patient prescription — no individual doctor's visit is required to receive it through the program. Check with your child's school or local barangay health center for the next scheduled round before paying for albendazole out of pocket.
How much does albendazole cost if you buy it?
We could not find a published albendazole price from either Rose Pharmacy or The Generics Pharmacy — a check of both chains' own product search, including under the common brand name Zentel, returned no results for either. That's a genuinely useful finding on its own: if you're outside the free deworming program's age range or timing window, expect to shop around, since it isn't a standard stocked item at the two chains that publish prices online. For context, five branded generics on the online marketplace medsgo.ph list a single 400mg chewable tablet at a consistent ₱15–₱16:
| Product | Estimated Range (2026) |
|---|---|
| HELIPROZ Albendazole 400mg (1 chewable tablet) | ₱15.00 |
| MEDZOLE Albendazole 400mg (1 chewable tablet) | ₱15.00 |
| PARDAZ Albendazole 400mg (1 chewable tablet) | ₱15.00 |
| ZOMITHEL Albendazole 400mg (1 chewable tablet) | ₱16.00 |
| AMZOL Albendazole 400mg (1 chewable tablet) | ₱16.00 |
All five listings were marked out of stock when checked on September 2, 2026, so these are reference prices rather than confirmed live availability — this guide treats them as an estimate, not an official rate from either of our primary sources. If you need albendazole outside a DOH mass deworming round, calling ahead to a pharmacy or asking your prescribing clinic to dispense it directly is more reliable than assuming any single chain stocks it.
What is albendazole used for?
Albendazole is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic used to treat intestinal worm infestations, typically given as a single 400mg chewable dose for mass treatment. It's effective against roundworm (ascariasis), whipworm (trichuriasis), hookworm, and other soil-transmitted helminth infections — the same category of parasites targeted by DOH's national deworming program. For non-intestinal parasitic conditions, a doctor may prescribe a different dosing regimen; that decision, and any dose beyond the standard single-tablet mass-treatment protocol, should be made with a physician.
Do you need a prescription for albendazole?
At a pharmacy, yes — antiparasitic medicines of this class are dispensed as prescription drugs in the Philippines. This guide covers pricing and program availability only; it is not medical advice on dosing or whether albendazole is the right dewormer for a specific infection. Through DOH's mass deworming program, no individual prescription is required, since it's administered to entire age-eligible groups as a public health measure rather than on a per-patient basis.
Is albendazole covered by PhilHealth's GAMOT program?
Yes. Albendazole is one of the 75 molecules on PhilHealth's GAMOT (Government's Access to Medicines for Optimized Treatment) list under Circular PC2025-0013 (effective August 21, 2025). Per the circular's Annex A.2 Fixed Fee Schedule, PhilHealth reimburses a registered GAMOT facility:
| Preparation | GAMOT Fixed Fee |
|---|---|
| 400mg chewable tablet | ₱9.75 |
That fixed fee is what PhilHealth pays a GAMOT facility for dispensing albendazole — it is not a retail price cap, and it's a separate mechanism from anything a pharmacy charges a walk-in customer. Members enrolled through a YAKAP primary care provider can access GAMOT medicines like albendazole at zero out-of-pocket cost, up to the program's Annual Benefit Limit of ₱20,000 per beneficiary per year — a medicines-only limit that resets annually and does not extend to consultations, lab tests, or screenings. For the full mechanics, see our PhilHealth GAMOT guide and YAKAP registration guide.
We could not confirm whether albendazole appears on the Executive Order 104/155 Maximum Retail Price list or the current Government-Mediated Access Price (GMAP) list (as of February 9, 2026) — the DOH pages that publish those annexes were unreachable during this check. Either way, those would be separate mechanisms from GAMOT, never to be confused with it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does albendazole cost in the Philippines?
Neither The Generics Pharmacy nor Rose Pharmacy publishes a price for albendazole online, so no confirmed retail figure exists from either chain as of September 2, 2026. Five branded generics listed on medsgo.ph put a single 400mg chewable tablet at ₱15.00–₱16.00, though those listings were out of stock at the time of this check.
Is albendazole free in the Philippines?
Yes, for children aged 1 to 12, through DOH's national mass deworming program: the Garantisadong Pambata campaign in April and October for preschoolers, and school-based deworming every January and July for schoolchildren, under DOH Administrative Order No. 2010-0023.
Is albendazole covered by PhilHealth GAMOT?
Yes. Albendazole is one of the 75 molecules on PhilHealth's GAMOT list under Circular PC2025-0013, with a fixed fee of ₱9.75 per 400mg chewable tablet. Members can access it at zero out-of-pocket cost through a YAKAP-registered primary care provider, up to a ₱20,000 annual benefit limit.
Do I need a prescription to buy albendazole?
Yes, at a pharmacy. DOH's mass deworming program is the exception — it's administered without an individual prescription as a public health measure for age-eligible groups.
What worms does albendazole treat?
Albendazole treats roundworm (ascariasis), whipworm (trichuriasis), hookworm, and other soil-transmitted helminth infections, typically as a single 400mg chewable dose in mass-treatment settings.
Why doesn't Mercury Drug or Watsons list an albendazole price?
Mercury Drug's "Price Inquiry" page is a contact form, not a published price list, and Watsons blocks automated price checks entirely. Generika also publishes no prices online. This guide only uses prices confirmed directly from pharmacies that publish them: The Generics Pharmacy and Rose Pharmacy, neither of which currently carries albendazole.
What's the difference between albendazole and mebendazole?
Both are the drugs DOH names as its mass-deworming drugs of choice, targeting the same range of intestinal parasites. Albendazole is typically a single 400mg dose; mebendazole regimens vary by preparation. See our mebendazole price guide for details on that alternative.
Can adults access free albendazole too?
DOH's mass deworming program is scoped to children aged 1 to 12. Adults generally need a doctor's prescription and a pharmacy purchase, though GAMOT coverage through a YAKAP primary care provider can bring the out-of-pocket cost to zero for enrolled members regardless of age.
Conclusion
For most Filipino families, albendazole's real price is ₱0 — it's one of two drugs the Department of Health hands out free, twice a year, to children aged 1 to 12 through school-based and barangay deworming. Outside that program, neither major online pharmacy we checked currently publishes a retail price for it, which is worth knowing before you assume it's a standard drugstore shelf item. If you need it through a prescription, PhilHealth's GAMOT benefit can bring the cost to zero for enrolled members. For a related dewormer and more on the free-medicine program behind GAMOT, see our mebendazole price guide and PhilHealth GAMOT explainer, or search ClinicFinderPH for a clinic near you.