If you think you might have scabies, you could qualify for a clinical trial being run by Menzies and Royal Darwin Hospital at Darwin Dermatology. You can contact the study team confidentially using the details below. If you are eligible for the study, you may be compensated for your time.
Contact - 1800 SCABIEs (1800 722 243)
A Phase II, randomized, double-blind, parallel group dose finding study of single oral doses of moxidectin in adults with scabies.
Aims:
- To determine if a single dose of moxidectin is effective in treating the scabies parasite in humans.
- To identify an optimal dose of moxidectin for the treatment of scabies.
- To evaluate the safety of moxidectin in adults infected with scabies.
Objectives:
The study is aiming to recruit up to 30 participants in the Darwin region who have a confirmed diagnosis of scabies infection. Dr Tilakaratne is accepting referrals from General Practitioner with patients that have suspected scabies. Please contact the team for further information or email referrals to reception@darwindermatology.com.au. Please note patients will not be out of pocket due to referral and will be seen as soon as possible.
Summary:
Scabies is a skin condition caused by a burrowing mite that results in an itchy rash on the body such as near arm pits and between the fingers. Scabies can be transmitted from one person to another after contact for an extended time such as through sharing clothes, sheets, blankets and mattresses with someone who has scabies. Effective treatment of scabies is important as they can live on your skin for many months causing discomfort, especially at night. Scratching the rash can also cause further skin infections.
Currently there are two main treatments for scabies, which include 5% permethrin (Lyclear) cream which is effective but must be applied correctly and at least twice to kill newly hatching eggs. Another effective treatment is ivermectin but requires two doses at least 7 to 14 days apart. These two medicines have been used for a very long time but unless used correctly may not kill all the scabies mites. This study hopes to find out if moxidectin is a simpler and more effective treatment for scabies in humans compared to the current treatments.
This study is about giving 1 dose of moxidectin to people with scabies and seeing how long it takes to kill the scabies mites. Because moxidectin stays in our bodies a lot longer we think that one treatment dose will kill the scabies mite and remain in our bodies long enough to also kill the newly hatching eggs. The study will look at several doses of moxidectin to see which one works the best.
Implications for policy and practice:
The dose selected based on data collected in this study will be taken forward in larger Phase II and Phase III studies to support applications to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency, Therapeutic Goods Administration and others as applicable for licensure of moxidectin as a treatment for scabies infection.
Information for participants:
To be involved in this study you must be 18 years of age or older and must have a confirmed diagnosis of scabies infection and must not have received treatment for scabies within the previous 7 days.
Chief investigator:
Project manager:
Contact info:
Project dates:
January 2020 - July 2021
