AAP: One Course of Spinosad Exterminates Lice, Nits

BOSTON — Head lice and nits were cleared from the hair of almost 90% of patients following a single application of a prescription topical agent, which is derived from soil bacteria, results of a randomized study showed.

Two weeks after treatment with 0.9% spinosad (Natroba), 86% of patients remained free of head lice (Pediculosis capitis) and viable nits, compared with fewer than 50% of patients treated with a placebo.

“What distinguishes spinosad from other topical therapies for lice, such as permethrins, is the ability to kill nits,” Rogers, a dermatologist practicing in Metairie, La., told MedPage Today. “Permethrins get rid of the lice, but the nits are unaffected. Without continual combing to remove them from the hair, the nits will hatch and cause re-infestation.” Read more at www.medpagetoday.com