A newer drug appears to work well against head lice, researchers report. The new study used a lotion made with ivermectin, an insecticide. Researchers randomly divided 765 children who were infested with head lice into 2 groups. One group received ivermectin lotion. The other got a placebo containing no medicine. The lotions were applied to the hair and left on for 10 minutes before rinsing. A day later, 95% of the ivermectin group and 31% of the placebo group were louse-free. Researchers also checked at day 15 because louse eggs may hatch after treatment. At that point, 74% of the ivermectin group and 18% of the placebo group still had no lice. Researchers said current treatments, such as permethrin and pyrethrin, are only about 50% effective. Lice also have been gaining resistance to these treatments. Ivermectin is approved for other uses, but doctors can prescribe it for head lice. The New E ngland Journal of Medicine published the study. An editorial in the issue said doctors should still prescribe standard treatments first and malathion second. The authors said we need to know more about ivermectin's long-term safety. HealthDay News wrote about the study October 31.
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