New product shows promise in combatting lice

MESA, Ariz. - If you're a parent who has had a kid with lice, you know it can be a real problem.

"They're basically little bugs that like to live in your very humid, warm areas like the scalp," said Dr. Steve Nurang of Cardon Children's Medical Center in Mesa.

Help may be on the way.

Nurang said there's a promising new prescription hair rinse called Natroba Tropical Suppression.

"They've found it can paralyze ticks," Nurang said. "Basically, it causes them to have tremors and they just die. That's how it [also] works with lice."

Eighty-four percent of the 600 kids who were tested were lice-free within two weeks, but Nurang said Natroba is expensive.

"For the average family without insurance, it's $220 to purchase this," said Nurang. "Even with insurance, it's a little less than 40 dollars to get this."

He says there's over the counter stuff that's cheaper and works well. "There's something called Nix that's about 15 dollars," Nurang said.

It's today's most commonly used product and works in one to two treatments. Nurang is also concerned that Natroba has only been tried by 600 kids, compared with the millions that have used Nix.

Nurang says patients should start with the over-the-counter stuff, Nix, then consult your doctor and go from there.