Malathion - Medical Use

Medical Use

Malathion in low doses (0.5% preparations) is used as a treatment for:

  • Head lice and body lice. Malathion and lindane are the only two agents approved by the FDA for treatment of pediculosis. It is claimed to effectively kill both the eggs and the adult lice, but in fact has been shown in UK studies to be only 36% effective on head lice, and less so on their eggs. This low efficiency was found when malathion was applied to lice found on schoolchildren in the Bristol area in the UK and it is assumed to be caused by the lice having developed resistance against malathion.
  • Scabies

Preparations include Derbac-M, Prioderm, Quellada-M and Ovide.

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