Ann: Leiden Testing Indicates MPL SARS-CoV-2 Antiviral Activity, page-223

UK,
I always assumed it was a trade name but you got me looking. Seems its usefulness as an anthelmintic was discovered in a Novartis Animal Health molecular screening project. Lesson, never assume:

.. Monepantel, an amino-acetonitrile derivative, was the fruit of an anthelmintic discovery project at Novartis Animal Health, which focused on testing compounds previously identified as interesting in screens for agricultural indications. These test compounds were first evaluated in an LDA employing H. contortus and T. colubriformis (to test for spectrum at an early stage), with active compounds then evaluated in a jird model that used coinfections with H. contortus and T. colubriformis (Kaminsky et al., 2008a,b;Kaminsky and Rufener, 2012). This process led to the identification of active leads; subsequent rounds of medicinal chemistry with iterative testing in this same scheme led to the selection of highly active analogues, including monepantel, which were then evaluated in sheep and cattle.
...https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281676453_Monepantel_From_Discovery_to_Mode_of_Action


Identification of the amino-acetonitrile derivative monepantel (AAD 1566) as a new anthelmintic drug development candidateR. Kaminsky, N. Gauvry, S. Schorderet Weber, T. Skripsky, J. Bouvier, A. Wenger, F. Schroeder, Y. Desaules, R. Hotz, T. Goebel, B. C. Hosking, F. Pautrat, S. Wieland-Berghausen & P. Ducray (2/7/2008)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281676453_Monepantel_From_Discovery_to_Mode_of_Action


Apparently monepantel has been very intensively studied since, which of course is good for PAA's monepantel program as that means there's a tonne of data out there on this in public. So there you go.

Cheers