FDA Approval of Benzyl Alcohol Lotion for Treatment of Head Lice

The FDA recently approved Benzyl Alcohol Lotion, 5%, as a new prescription treatment for head lice in patients aged 6 months and older. In two studies of 628 people with active head lice, patients received two 10-minute treatments of benzyl alcohol lotion or topical placebo 1 week apart. Seventy-five percent of the patients who received benzyl alcohol lotion were lice free 2 weeks after the second treatment. The medication is known to cause irritation to the skin, scalp, and eyes and also numbness to the sites to which it is applied. More-serious side effects such as respiratory distress, seizure, coma, and death can occur in premature infants.