"Super lice" meet their match: non-insecticide treatment kills scalp pest

Contrary to U.S. study's claim of no remedy for Canadians infested with "super lice", effective anti-lice treatment is available in Canada

MONTREAL, April 21, 2014 /CNW/ - An American study that claims hard-to-kill "super lice" account for 97% of head lice cases in Canada for which there is no effective treatment, failed to investigate the availability of effective head-lice treatments in Canada. Contrary to the study's claim, a safe, effective, non-insecticide treatment to which head lice, including "super lice", their eggs and larvae cannot develop resistance is available in Canada.

The treatment available in Canada is a dimeticone solution, NYDA, with a unique two-step mechanism of action. First, when applied to scalp and hair, NYDA penetrates deeply into the breathing system of lice and eggs, replacing the air. Second, NYDA solution thickens quickly, sealing the breathing system, thus suffocating and killing the parasites¹.

The University of Massachusetts study, published in the March 2014 issue of the Journal of Entomology, examines the extent and frequency in Canadian and U.S. populations of head lice with a mutation that makes them resistant to the insecticides contained in most head-lice treatments. The study concludes: "Alternative approaches to treatment of head lice infestations are critically needed." ²

In studies, NYDA has a proven efficacy rate of 97.2% ³. Most head lice treatments sold in Canada contain insecticide that does not kill all the eggs, leaving them to hatch, causing recurring infestations⁴.

NYDA is reimbursed by most provincial, federal and private health plans.

Dr. John Kraft, a dermatologist in Markham, Ontario, said: "Reports on this U.S. study have caused unnecessary anxiety for many parents. Head lice cannot develop resistance to NYDA because it is free of insecticide. That is important for parents who do not want their children exposed to pesticides.

"Also, NYDA kills head lice by suffocation. No living creature can build up resistance to death by suffocation."

Dr. Kraft explained that to successfully exterminate head lice, "It is essential, first, to apply NYDA to kill all the eggs, larvae and head lice. Second, to use an ergonomic, fine-toothed NYDA metal comb to remove all the dead lice, eggs and larvae from the hair. And, third, to apply a second treatment of NYDA eight to 10 days later."

Results of a national survey of Canadian households with children⁵ that experienced head-lice infestations over the preceding 12 months reveal:

• One in every 14 of those households had at least one head lice infestation.
• On average, 75% of head-lice infestations occur in children, aged 5 to 17 years.
• In homes in which only one person experienced an infestation, children aged five to 12 years were the most likely to be infested with head lice (65%).
• One in three (36%) infested children was aged four years or younger.
• One in four households (23%) had infestations in two or more family members.⁸ 

Dimeticones are not absorbed through the skin and are widely and safely used in infant medicines, cosmetics, shampoos and hair sprays ⁶. As a dimeticone-based product, NYDA is a safe head-lice treatment.

The presence of head lice does not indicate poor hygiene; in fact, head lice often prefer clean scalps. Head lice infestations occur in all socio-economic groups and cultures throughout the world⁷.

Many parents and children are embarrassed by head lice infestations in their families. NYDA is applied in the home, providing privacy, time and cost savings, and, when more than one family member must be treated, convenience.

About Head Lice:
Head lice are insect parasites that infest the hair and scalp of human hosts, feeding off the host's blood by biting the scalp. Head lice are prevalent worldwide, in all socio-economic groups.  Most transmission of head lice occurs at school with infestation rates greater among girls and in urban settings rather than rural areas⁸.

Adult female head lice lay six to eight new eggs each day for 20 to 30 days then die.  Eggs mature within six or seven days into nymphs (larvae), which then mature into adults and repeat the reproductive cycle.

About NYDA:
NYDA is approved by Health Canada for adults and children aged two years and older.  It  is available without a prescription, at drug-store pharmacy counters across Canada.

NYDA Contraindications: NYDA must not be used in people with known allergies (hypersensitivity) to any of its ingredients.  NYDA should not be used in pregnant or breast-feeding women or in children under the age of two years, owing to lack of experience with NYDA in these patient groups⁹.

About Pediapharm Inc.:
Pediapharm Inc. is Canada's only innovative pediatric specialty pharmaceutical company.  Partnering with health-care organizations around the world, Pediapharm brings innovative new or existing over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription (Rx) treatments to the Canadian market to help improve the health and quality of life of Canadian children. For more information on NYDA, visit www.nyda.ca .

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¹  Heukelbach J, Oliveira FA, Richter J, and Hāussinger D. Dimeticone-Based Pediculicides: A Physical Approach to Eradicate Head Lice. The Open Dermatology Journal, 2010, 4, 77-81

²  Kyong Sup Yoon,¹ Domenic J. Previte,²  Hilliary E. Hodgdon,¹ Bryan C. Poole,³; Deok Ho Kwon,⁴ Gamal E. Abo el-Ghar,⁵ Si Hyeock Lee,⁴ and J. Marshall Clark ^1,2,6 : Knockdown Resistance Allele Frequencies in North American Head Louse (Anoplura: Pediculidae) Populations.  J. Med. Entomol. 51(2): 450‹457 (2014); DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/ME13139  

³  Heukelbach J, Pilger D, Oliveira FA, Khakban A, Ariza L, Felmeier H. A highly efficacious pediculicide based on dimeticone: Randomized observer blinded comparative trial. BMC Infectious Diseases 2008;8:115.

⁴  Marcoux D, Palma KG, Kaul N, Hodgdon H, Van Geest  A, Previte DJ, Abou-Elghar GE, Yoon KS, Clark JM: Pyrethroid Pediculicide Resistance of Head Lice in Canada Evaluated by Serial Invasive Signal Amplification Reaction. Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery, Vol14, No 3 (May/June), 2010: pp 115-118

⁵  Harris/Decima Televox National Telephone Omnibus. HealthComm – Head Lice. February 8, 2012.

⁶  Heukelbach J, Oliveira FA, Richter J, and Hāussinger D. Dimeticone-Based Pediculicides: A Physical Approach to Eradicate Head Lice. The Open Dermatology Journal, 2010, 4, 77-81

⁷  Norman G. Gratz: Human Lice: Their Prevalence, Control and Resistance to Insecticides. A Review 1985-1997. World Health Organization. Division of Control of Tropical Diseases. WHO Pesticide Evaluation Scheme (WHOPES)

⁸  Norman G. Gratz: Human Lice: Their Prevalence, Control and Resistance to Insecticides. A Review 1985-1997. World Health Organization. Division of Control of Tropical Diseases. WHO Pesticide Evaluation Scheme (WHOPES)

9  Product Monograph. NYDA. Dimeticone 100 St. Solution, 50% w/w. Pediculicide. G. Pohl-Boskamp GmbH & Co. KG, Hohenlockstedt, Germany. Date of Preparation: September 7, 2011

SOURCE: Pediapharm Inc.

HealthComm -- Norma Meneguzzi Spall - 416-209-1216