Mass drug administration for scabies control

The elegantly conducted randomised study, undertaken in Fijian island communities, demonstrated that oral ivermectin MDA was superior to permethrin cream MDA in reducing the prevalence of scabies infection. Medicines Development for Global Health congratulates Andrew for publishing such a compelling study supporting the use of oral therapy in treating this important communicable disease.

In a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, Romani and colleagues, notably Andrew C. Steer, report the results of the Skin Health Intervention Fiji Trial (SHIFT), evaluating the efficacy of mass drug administration (MDA) of topical permethrin cream and oral ivermectin in the treatment of scabies. The elegantly conducted randomised study, undertaken in Fijian island communities, demonstrated that oral ivermectin MDA was superior to permethrin cream MDA in reducing the prevalence of scabies infection. Medicines Development for Global Health congratulates Andrew for publishing such a compelling study supporting the use of oral therapy in treating this important communicable disease.

Read the article.