Tribune health and fitness reporter Julie Deardorff’s column “Spraying where kids play may be out of bounds” (Q, Sept. 10) misses the mark on lindane. Deardorff’s column suggests that lindane shampoo is a cosmetic, not subject to federal Food and Drug Administration drug approval process and safety requirements.
The shampoo is an FDA-approved prescription medication used to treat head lice and pubic lice when other treatments have failed or cannot be tolerated. Lindane shampoo has a well-established safety record with more than 50 years of use clinically.
I have prescribed lindane to a number of patients and have found it to be safe and effective when used as directed.
Head lice can be a major public health problem with many consequences beyond being simply a nuisance. Making sure parents and physicians have a choice when it comes to fighting highly contagious parasites like lice prevents excessive absenteeism from the classroom and further infestations. That ultimately keeps children safer at school.
