FDA OKS LOTION AGAINST POISON PLANTS.Byline: Associated Press People plagued by itchy itch·y (  ch  )adj. poison ivy poison ivy /poi·son ivy/ (poiz´'n i´ve) Rhus radicans. Having or causing an itching sensation. poison ivy n. just got some help: the first government-backed drug to prevent the rash. A North American shrub or vine that has compound leaves with three leaflets, small green flowers, and whitish berries and that causes a rash on contact. Also called poison oak. The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved IvyBlock, a nonprescription non·pre·scrip·tion (n  n pr-skrp lotion that dries to form a white, claylike barrier against poison ivy, oak or sumac poison sumac a species, Rhus vernix, which causes an itching rash on contact with the skin. su·mac or su·mach (s  m. Until now, the only proven help was avoiding the poisonous plants poisonous plant, any plant possessing a property injurious to man or animal. Plants may be poisonous to the touch (e.g., poison ivy, poison sumac), or orally toxic (e.g., poison hemlock, deadly amanita). Many poisonous plants are of great value medicinally, e.g., digitalis, belladonna, and aconite. Numerous plants have long been known and gathered (some from prehistoric times) for specific medicinal uses in controlled dosage. or wearing protective - often hot - clothing. But the FDA said rubbing on IvyBlock at least 15 minutes before exposure to the poisonous plants can protect people. In a test of 144 people known to be allergic to poison ivy, the lotion protected 68 percent from developing any rash, and those who did itch had a less-severe rash than they developed when they didn't use the drug. More than 9 million Americans sought remedies for the irritation caused by poison ivy, oak or sumac in 1994, and 15 percent of people sensitive to poison ivy alone can experience severe allergic reactions. Hikers, park rangers, forest firefighters and others who work outdoors are most prone to repeated rashes. And they're among the first people manufacturer EnviroDerm Pharmaceuticals Inc. hopes to sell IvyBlock to. The lotion will be available in three to six months and will cost less than $10 per bottle, Louisville, Ky.-based EnviroDerm said Wednesday. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion