A randomized clinical study comparing a head lice shampoo, (Licener®) with an anti-head lice product containing dimethicone (Jacutin® Pedicul Fluid)

A new study conducted between July and November 2016 in households of two villages in Egypt compared the safety and efficacy of a shampoo-based head lice treatment (Licener®) with an anti-head lice product (Jacutin® Pedicul Fluid) via a randomized and controlled clinical study.

The study by Semmler et.al published in the May 2017 Journal of Parasitology Research suggests that both the test product (Licener®) and the reference product (Jacutin® Pedicul Fluid) exceed the objective of cure rates of over 85% after single treatment and after two treatments with higher cure rates and non-inferiority for the test product.

The study was conducted on children older than 2 years and with an active head lice infestation. There were 61 children in the test-group Licener® and 58 children in the reference group (Jacutin® Pedicul Fluid). The combined success rate shows significant superiority of the test product against the reference product (test group 58/58 = 100%; 95% CI = 93.84-100.00%; reference group 49/54 = 90.7%; 95% CI = 79.70-96.92%; p = 0.024).

The findings suggest that the test product showed higher ovicidal efficacy than the reference product, thus demonstrating that a single treatment with a head lice product like Licener® can be sufficient to eliminate a head lice infestation.