Chain Drug Review, July 9, 2018

Chain Drug Review July 9 2018 41 HEALTH CARE REPORT LICE TREATMENT In the war on lice O T Cs are formidable weapons NEW YORK The term louse is often thought of as an insult to describe someone who is contemptible or unpleasant but in fact a louse is a parasitic insect most commonly found on scalps mostly on children but also on bodies including the pubic area Human lice survive by feeding on human blood The three species of lice found on head body and pubic area are different from each other More often than not lice are spread through person to person contact Contrary to popular belief dogs cats and other pets do not play a role in the transmission of human lice according to the Mayo Clinic Lice cannot hop or fly and travel by crawling which explains why close contact with an infected person is responsible for the spread of lice Both over the counter and prescription medications are available for treatment of lice infestations Head lice are found everywhere and are most common in the U S among children in preschool and child care and in others living in the same household as an infected child Though the data is sketchy it is estimated that 6 million to 12 million lice infestations occur yearly in the U S among children 3 to 11 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Itching is the most common symptom of lice particularly on the scalp neck and ears which is caused by an allergic reaction to saliva from the louse according to the Mayo Clinic Lice on scalp may be visible but they are difficult to spot because they are so tiny they avoid light and they move quickly Lice eggs or nits stick to hair shafts and incubating nits may be difficult to see because they are even tinier than lice Combing through the hair with a lice comb or nitpicking the origin of the term for being obsessively picky or critical is one way to treat lice along with various O T C remedies To making combing more effective some conditioning products are formulated to make the hair easier to comb in order to find the tiny parasites and their eggs But while combing can help rid the scalp of lice it requires a lot of time and effort Plus while combing may remove lice it doesnt kill them When all other treatments fail doctors can prescribe medications to get rid of an infestation Though preventing the spread of lice is difficult especially among school age children and those in day care where the children are in close proximity there are measures that can be taken such as hanging clothes on separate hooks and not sharing combs brushes hats and scarves Untreated or in advanced cases lice can cause infections from scratching the scalp With so many infestations yearly in the U S and some 350 million spent per year to treat them the Lice Clinics of America LCA which describes itself as the largest network of urgent care clinics for lice treatment as well as a provider of lice removal solutions says there are enormous business opportunities in the lice treatment space especially as lice become more resistant to popular O T C brands According to LCA one in 20 children in the U S currently has head lice Despite this few new licetreatment methods have been developed in the past 30 years according to LCA Lice are highly resistant to the existing treatments that often involve toxic pesticides and are often rendered ineffective Last year LCA rolled out its athome Lice Remover Kit to major retail chains The kit represents a first of its kind product according to LCA It contains a nontoxic liquid gel formulated to kill lice detangle hair and facilitate the removal of dead lice and eggs with no mess and a pleasant scent The kit also provides an easy to use dispenser for applying the gel and a sturdy comb for removing the lice and eggs LCA notes While O T C pesticide products dominate the lice treatment category LCA points out that the emergence of pesticideresistant lice or super lice has made many of these solutions ineffective in stopping lice infestations Developed in LCAs urgent care lice clinics the Lice Remover Kit is a pesticide free option guaranteed by LCA to end even super lice infestations Shampoos can serve as another weapon against head lice such as Lice R Gone a chemical free shampoo from Safe Solutions Inc which is based in Marne Mich This lice fighting nontoxic shampoo removes lice and nits on contact according to Safe Solutions The all natural enzymatic formula in Lice R Gone is pH balanced hypoallergenic and biodegradable Along with being free from harsh pesticides the shampoo is friendly to the environment as well as safe for children the company says Another pesticide free O T C lice treatment is Lice Nil which is manufactured by Sujanil a company that has been making agrochemical pesticides household insecticides pest control and public health products for more than 50 years Typical chemical treatments work by attacking the louses nervous system but this tactic doesnt have an effect on eggs because they havent developed nervous systems yet according to Sujanil This then leads to the stressful combing process to remove the nits from the hair And chemical treatments the company adds have almost no effect on super lice which have developed resistance to even the harshest chemical treatments Lice Nil on the other hand is an oil based all natural treatment proven 100 effective on all types of lice including super lice says Sujanil chief executive officer Ashish Desai who adds that the treatment contains just three ingredients neem coconut and tea tree oils Desai says Lice Nil is effective because it works differently than other more traditional products that are formulated with chemicals and it is able to kill any type of lice from common lice to super lice and their nits even if those lice have built up a resistance to other forms of treatment Neem extract a vegetable oil pressed from the seeds and fruits of the Azadirachta indica tree is the primary ingredient in Lice Nil Neem extract is a powerful lice remedy Desai says and it is safe and all natural Neem works by encapsulating and suffocating the lice and it even penetrates the tiny openings at the top of lice eggs thus blocking oxygen flow to create a buildup of carbon dioxide which prevents the nits from forming any further Science is now more of a factor than ever in treating lice CARY N C Despite a current Pesticides such as permethrin and pyrethrins have become less effective decline the head lice category continues to be a safe bet for retailers says Amanda Sicvol country manager for Alliance Pharma Inc the U S affiliate of U K based Alliance Pharmaceuticals Ltd which owns Vamousse one of the leading lice treatment brands Though there is no single reason for the dip one strong possibility Sicvol says is the disaggregation of the category due to the expansion of lice treatment options now available for families At one time parents had only a handful of pesticide based over the counter options to combat lice infestations along with tedious and time consuming combing to remove nits Now as Sicvol points out there are a plethora of O T C and prescription treatments as well as a growing network of lice treatment clinics not to mention the infinite advice available online and in social media to support home remedies Unfortunately not all of these options are backed by science and many are not accessible to many families due to cost or time O T C options remain the most used by families Sicvol says given the urgency of treating infected children before they go back to school and risk spreading the lice to their classmates Citing data from the dermatological archives at the National Institutes of Health Sicvol says leading products utilizing the common chemical pesticides permethrin and pyrethrins are becoming far less efficacious as strains of lice have built up resistance to them This science has paved the way for even the leading brand names to challenge their own top SKUs with the introduction of pesticide free options However there is little innovation in these more natural treatments Sicvol says noting that dimethicone based products such as Nix Ultra and combing facilitators such as Rid Max have made quick strides in sales volume despite not offering new technology for killing lice Meanwhile Sicvol says Vamousse continues to focus on a pesticide free treatment approach that is unique among all of these remedies While dimethicone which kills lice but not their eggs thus requiring a second treatment or manual removal of the eggs and combing facilitators which rely on the parent to comb out the lice and eggs rather than formulaically killing the parasites are entering the market and replacing pesticide based products in many cases Vamousse offers a different benefit for parents Vamousse delivers a formulation that kills both the lice and the eggs through non pesticide ingredients Sicvol says This saves parents the hassle of a required second application while giving them a different tool Unlike other treatments Vamousse doesnt rely on parents combing out lice but rather kills all stages of the infestation lice nymphs eggs including resistant strains all in the same treatment Sicvol explains Vamousse offers four distinct products that meet different needs for parents Sicvol says This type of holistic solution set wasnt possible before with pesticide based formulations because of the FDA Food and Drug Administration limitations on using these products sparingly on children With its pesticide free formulations Vamousse gives parents not just a treatment for the infestation but a home cleaning aid that kills lice and super lice and vacuums up completely to clean non washable items a daily shampoo designed to continue killing lice with each wash for maintenance posttreatment and a daily leave in repellent spray that dries odorless and protects the hair for up to eight hours This product range in Sicvols view is a key benefit to retailers especially while the category is slowing While the number of units of treatment sold are fewer this year representing fewer infestations being treated over the counter the opportunity to sell an incremental product in addition to a treatment represents a way to offset the loss in treatment sales and increase basket ring she says 6 mil to 12 mil infestations occur yearly