 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
To the Editor.—
When I published the preliminary results of my research on Nuvo lotion,1 I hoped that soon other researchers would independently evaluate and report on this new technique for treating head lice.2 The lotion is applied to the scalp, dried in place, and suffocates the lice. The reported results demonstrated a refreshingly simple way to cure head lice reliably: 96% effective, 94% long-term cure rate, nontoxic, and no extensive house clean-up or nit removal. The 96% cure rate reported for Nuvo lotion is superior to the cure rates most recently reported in the United Kingdom for permethrin (10%), malathion (17%), "Bug Busting" (57%), phenothrin (75%), and the newest pediculocide, dimethicone (73%).3,4 I have received >250 requests from health care practitioners from the United States and abroad for additional information about this treatment; however, no pharmaceutical company, university, or health care entity has stepped forward to perform such studies. I now have realized that practitioners who want independent information will need to try out the treatment themselves.
To make this treatment available to individual practitioners to try, I now announce that the lotion I used in my research as a "dry-on suffocation pediculicide" head-lice treatment was actually Cetaphil cleanser (Galderma Laboratories, LP, Fort Worth, TX). Cetaphil cleanser is indicated on its label for cleansing children's skin and is available over-the-counter in pharmacies across the United States and abroad (distributed by the Galderma Laboratories family of multinational companies). Thus, practitioners in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Israel, and other areas with challenging head-lice problems can try this novel approach easily. To use the product for my research we purchased the Cetaphil cleanser "off the shelf" in a pharmacy, transferred the lotion to bottles with a nozzle-type cap to facilitate delivery to the scalp, and followed the research protocol in its use and evaluation of outcome. I chose Cetaphil cleanser as the prototype lotion to test this concept because the formulation seemed likely to have the properties required to work as a dry-on suffocation pediculicide to treat head lice.
Although worthwhile enhancements can be achieved by reformulating this prototype lotion, Cetaphil cleanser itself proved to be quite an effective pediculicide in my research. My work was fully independent without any financial or other association with Galderma. For additional details on the practical use of Cetaphil cleanser lotion to treat head lice, please visit their Web site www.Nuvoforheadlice.com.
FOOTNOTES
Conflict of interest: Dr Pearlman invented and owns patents on dry-on suffocation pediculicide technology.
REFERENCES
Read all P3Rs
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||
|
||
Home | My Pediatrics | Journal Information | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscriptions & Services | Contact Us Click here for faster international access © 2005 American Academy of Pediatrics. All rights reserved. |
||
|
||
