Two cheap creams go head to head against scabies mites
NCT ID NCT07822672
First seen Sep 16, 2026 · Last updated Sep 17, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Scabies is a skin condition caused by mites that burrow into the skin and cause intense itching. This trial compares two creams used to treat it: sulfur 7% and permethrin 5%. Ninety adults with scabies were assigned to one cream or the other. Sulfur was applied each evening for three nights; permethrin was applied once overnight and repeated after a week. Researchers checked whether the scabies cleared at two and four weeks, and also tracked itching, sleep, side effects, satisfaction, and cost.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- sulfur 7% cream compared with permethrin 5% cream
- What this could lead to
- If sulfur cream works as well as permethrin, doctors and patients could have a second low-cost option for clearing scabies, which may help when permethrin is unavailable or unaffordable.
- What could go wrong
- The trial is small, with 90 adults, and it is open-label, so participants and researchers know which cream was used. That can bias how people report itching, sleep, and satisfaction. Sulfur can irritate skin and has a strong odor, which may affect how well people tolerate it.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
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90 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jun 2024
- Finished
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Jun 2026
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Adults aged 18 years or older * Clinical diagnosis of ordinary (non-crusted) scabies, established using the 2020 International Alliance for the Control of Scabies (IACS) consensus criteria, category B: * B1: burrow identified, or * B2: typical lesions at male genitalia, or * B3: typical lesions at typical sites plus pruritus and a history of close contact with a person with scabies or itch Exclusion Criteria: * Known allergy or intolerance to sulfur or permethrin * Pregnant or breastfeeding women * Hearing, visual, or cognitive impairment preventing reliable self-reporting of symptoms * Self-discontinuation of study treatment before completion
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Can Tho Dermatology Hospital
Can Tho, Can Tho City, 900000, Vietnam
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