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Head, Body Lice Are Genetically Very Similar
Posted 12 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, April 12 – Genetic evidence suggests that head and body lice are the same species, a new study says. The finding is significant because body lice transmit deadly bacterial diseases while head lice do not, the researchers explained. The researchers compared the number and sequences of all the protein-coding genes expressed at each life-cycle stage of head and body lice and found that the two organisms were very similar. "The differences in their sequences were so minor that if we didn't know they were separate groups, we would have considered them the same species," study leader Barry Pittendrigh, an entomology professor at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, said in a university news release. "As body lice transmit diseases and head lice don't, this system provides a unique opportunity to understand subtle changes that allow body lice to transmit human diseases," ... Read more
Prescription Shampoo Approved to Treat Head Lice
Posted 8 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8 – Sklice Lotion, a prescription-strength shampoo to treat head lice, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for people six months and older, the French product maker Sanofi said. The shampoo contains ivermectin, which traditionally is prescribed in pill form to treat worm infections, the Associated Press reported. The product's safety and effectiveness were evaluated in clinical studies involving more than 780 people. After two weeks, most participants who had been lice infested did not require daily combing to remove lice eggs, the wire service reported. The most common adverse reactions included eye infection and irritation, dandruff and dry skin. Lice are small, blood-sucking insects that cause itching from the saliva they inject into the scalp and nearby areas to prevent premature clotting. Infestations are spread by direct contact or by shared ... Read more
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Sanofi Announces FDA Approval of Sklice Lotion for the Treatment of Head Lice
Posted 7 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Sanofi announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Sklice (ivermectin) lotion, 0.5% for the topical treatment of head lice, in patients 6 months of age and older. Effective and well-tolerated, Sklice Lotion treats lice in most patients with a single 10-minute application of the lotion, without nit combing. "The approval of Sklice Lotion provides physicians and parents with a new treatment option for head lice, a condition that is notoriously frustrating to treat," said Kenneth P. Guito, General Manager, Sanofi-Topaz. "Through a unique mode of action, Sklice Lotion resolves most head lice infestations in one application, and is very well-tolerated." Sklice will be commercialized by Sanofi Pasteur U.S., an established leader in the pediatric area with an extensive heritage of bringing innovative solutions to ... Read more
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Dealing With Head Lice
Posted 6 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
SUNDAY, Feb. 5 – Although there is a stigma associated with having head lice, infestations with these small insects are common and nothing to be ashamed of, according to Dr. Hannah Chow-Johnson, a pediatrician at Loyola University Health System. Chow-Johnson knows from firsthand experience. Her own kids came home with lice one day. "There is no shame in having lice. In fact, they are attracted to clean, shiny hair so the assumption that only unclean people have lice is false," said Chow-Johnson, also an assistant professor of pediatrics at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, in a university news release. "I had treated kids with lice in clinic, but it wasn't until my own kids brought those scratchy, nasty bugs into our house that I truly understood their impact." The size of a grain of rice, lice lay small whitish or brownish eggs called nits that stick to hair shafts ... Read more
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FDA Approves Natroba Head Lice Treatment for Children and Adults
Posted 19 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com
ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 18, 2011--The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Natroba (spinosad) Topical Suspension 0.9% for the treatment of head lice infestation in patients ages 4 years and older. Head lice are parasitic insects found on people's head, eyebrows, and eyelashes. They feed on human blood several times a day but are not known to cause disease. Head lice are spread mainly by direct head-to-head contact with a person who already has head lice. Lice move by crawling and can easily travel from child to child because children play closely together and often in large groups. "Natroba provides another option for the topical treatment of head lice infestations, which are especially prevalent in the pediatric population," said Julie Beitz, M.D., director of the Office of Drug Evaluation III in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Head lice is a common p ... Read more
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Back to School Can Mean a Return to Head Lice Worries
Posted 12 Sep 2010 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Sept. 10 – They're the ultimate creepy crawler. Creatures that truly give people the willies. And they're apt to make you feel unclean, or maybe even a bad parent (neither of which, experts say, is valid). Head lice truly are nasty little buggers – parasitic insects that infest the head, eyebrows and eyelashes of their human hosts and cause the creepiest tickling sensation along the scalp. They're a worldwide phenomenon, but in the United States they infect mostly school-age children, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health experts estimate that 6 million to 12 million U.S. kids, 3 to 11 years old, get infested each year. Vigilance is the key to heading off an infestation, said Deborah Altschuler, president of the National Pediculosis Association, a nonprofit group aimed at head lice prevention. "The best way is to know what to look for, screen ... Read more
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Genome for Human Body Lice Unlocked
Posted 21 Jun 2010 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, June 21 – Scientists who sequenced the genome of human body lice say their research will help improve understanding about the blood-sucking parasite's biology and evolution, and potentially lead to better control methods. Body lice, which live in clothing and can spread bacterial diseases, thrive during economic downturns, wars and other crises that force people to live in unsanitary conditions. The multi-center team of researchers found that the body louse, which is closely related to the head louse, has the smallest known genome of any insect. This likely reflects its somewhat protected habitat and predictable diet, said University of Illinois entomology professor Barry Pittendrigh. "The ecology of lice is very, very simple. It either lives in your hair or on your clothing, and it has one type of meal, and that's blood. So most of the genes that are responsible for sensing or ... Read more
For Tough Head Lice, Pill Tops Lotion
Posted 11 Mar 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, March 10 – In children with hard-to-treat head lice, the oral medication ivermectin is more effective than the standard treatment, the topical cream malathion, new research finds. The study, published in the March 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, found that 95 percent of those treated with ivermectin were lice-free after two weeks compared to 85 percent of those using malathion. "Ivermectin may be a good alternative to malathion when topical insecticide resistance is suspected," the study authors wrote. The researchers caution that ivermectin generally shouldn't be used as a first-line treatment, but instead suggest that it be reserved for treatment-resistant lice. Overuse of ivermectin might lead to lice developing resistance to this medication as well. Between 6 million and 12 million American schoolchildren are infested with head lice each year, the U.S. ... Read more
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Benzyl Alcohol Lotion Approved for Head Lice
Posted 10 Apr 2009 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, April 10 – A prescription medication, benzyl alcohol lotion 5 percent, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat head lice. More than 1 million children annually are affected by head lice (pediculosis capitis), the agency said in a news release. The newly approved medication was established as safe and effective in two studies of 628 people. After two, 10-minute treatments given a week apart, more than 75 percent of trial participants treated with the lotion were lice free. The most common side effects of the treatment were irritations of the skin, scalp and eyes, and application site numbness. The product should never be used in infants younger than six months, as they could suffer respiratory, heart or brain problems that result in seizure, coma or death, the FDA said. The treatment is distributed by Sciele Pharma Inc. More information The FDA has ... Read more
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To Rid Heads of Lice, Wet-Combing May Work Best
Posted 16 Mar 2009 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, March 16 – Wet-combing a child's hair is better than a visual inspection for detecting active head lice infestation, according to German researchers. They compared the two methods in 304 students, ages 6 to 12. Each child first underwent a visual inspection, in which an applicator stick was used to part the hair at the temples, behind the ears and on the neck. A second researcher, who didn't know the results of the visual inspection, then applied a conditioner to wet the hair and combed from hair roots to ends with a fine-toothed comb. The conditioner collected by the comb was wiped on white sanitary paper and any objects collected by the conditioner were examined with a magnifying glass. Overall, eggs or larvae, called nits, were detected in about 26 percent of the children, and adult or nymph lice were detected in 7 percent. "Visual inspection underestimated the true ... Read more
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permethrin, Stromectol, ivermectin, Elimite, malathion, Acticin, Lice Treatment, spinosad, Natroba, view more... Ulesfia, lindane, Nix Lice Control, Pyrinyl Liquid, Pyrinyl Liquid Shampoo, Pronto Spray, Tegrin-LT Lice Spray, Pronto Shampoo Kit, Pronto with Metal Comb, Rid Shampoo/Spray Kit, Lice Bedding Spray, Klout, Sklice, A-200 Lice Control, Pyrinil Lice Control Kit, Pronto Lice Kill System, Rid Pediculicide Spray, Triple X Pediculicide, Lice-X Liquid, Licide, Tisit, Nix Cream Rinse, Ovide, ivermectin topical, piperonyl butoxide/pyrethrins, benzyl alcohol, Lyclear, Pyrifoam Lice Breaker, A-200 Lice Treatment, End Lice Liquid, Tegrin-LT Shampoo, R & C Lice Treatment Kit, R & C, Pyrinyl II, Rid Pediculicide