Explain that an industry-sponsored study of topical ivermectin found that treatment was more effective than a vehicle carrier at 1, 7, and 14 days after a single application without removal of nits.
Note that an accompanying editorial raised concerns about overuse of ivermectin and selection of resistant parasites, especially in parts of the world where it is used heavily for other parasitic infections.
A single, 10-minute application of topical ivermectin (Sklice) without nit combing was effective and safe for killing head lice, two phase III industry-sponsored trials showed.
Compared with an inactive comparator, the ivermectin lotion resulted in a higher percentage of patients from both studies who were louse-free 1 day after treatment (94.9% versus 31.3%), 1 week later (85.2% versus 20.8%), and 2 weeks later (73.8% versus 17.6%), according to William Ryan, BVSc, of Ryan Mitchell Associates in Westfield, N.J., and colleagues.
The differences at each time point were statistically significant (P<0.001 for all), the researchers reported in the Nov. 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
The rate and severity of adverse events were similar with ivermectin – which was approved by the FDA in February -- and the control lotion.
"The results of the two studies reported here indicate that ivermectin is a treatment option when permethrin or pyrethrins have failed or when there is a desire to reduce the need for nit combing and increase the probability of success with a single application," Ryan and colleagues wrote.
01/11/2012 : By Todd Neale / MedPage Today.
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