French medical researchers have found that a new oral treatment is more effective in eradicating lice as compared to any prescription lotion for the scalp.

Children between the ages of 3 and 11 years are particularly vulnerable to Lice, which are parasites and infest more than 100 million people worldwide each year.

A clinical trial to compare the effectiveness of a new oral treatment (Ivermectin) with that of a conventional anti-lice treatment (malathion lotion) was performed by the researchers.

812 contaminated individuals from 376 families were applied one or the other product twice, at an interval of seven days during the trial.

Ivermectin is a compound from the avermectin family, which acts by blocking neurotransmissions in the brains of invertebrates.

It was found by the researchers that 95 percent of the 398 individuals who received Ivermectin were free from lice 15 days after the start of treatment, as compared to 85 percent of the 414 individuals treated with malathion. (With Inputs from Agencies)