The maker of Linade Shampoo and Lindane Lotion, head lice treatments has stopped promoting the drugs since a December Food & Drug Administration (FDA) warning that chastised Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals for minimizing the rare, but very serious, risks of the insecticide-based head lice drugs,
The FDA warning cites concern over some of the information drug maker Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals provided on websites and in mailed materials, including a statement by the company that treating head lice effectively requires two applications, several days apart. According to the FDA, this is “extremely alarming given that re-treatment with Lindane Shampoo can lead to increased exposure and possibly death.” According to the products’ warning label, hospitalizations, seizures, and deaths have been reported after the use of Lindane Shampoo and Lindane Lotion; the FDA requires that the prescriptions carry that warning. The warning label also cites “lindane toxicity, verified by autopsy” in two deaths: One infant and an adult who used the product to commit suicide. (more…)

