Lindane Head Lice Shampoo Can Cause Death

January 2008

Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals has stopped promoting Lindane Shampoo and Lindane Lotion, which are insecticide-based treatments for head lice and scabies. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned the drugmaker that its marketing downplays serious risks of using Lindane Shampoo or Lindane Lotion, including hospitalizations, seizures and even death.

Millions of cases of head lice and body mites are reported annually in the US, many among children. Over 166,000 prescriptions were made for lindane treatment in 2007. In 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency banned lindane as an agricultural insecticide because of its toxicity.