NORFOLK, VA -- Bed bugs are a growing problem across the country. Now, getting rid of them could be as easy as taking a pill.
An ER doctor and professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School, Dr. Scheele, came up with the idea to use the generic drug Ivermectin.
This drug has been used for years to treat patients with parasites in under-developing countries, killing insects like scabies and lice.
A research team first tested the drug on mice with bedbugs. Then they began testing on themselves. Scheele recalls, "we let the bed bugs feed on us and then we set them aside. Then we took the Ivermectin, then we took another tube of bed bugs and let them feed on us and set them aside."
Within 48 hours the adult bed bugs that bit after taking Ivermectin died.
The team hopes to find a drug company, or even hotel chain, willing to fund additional research.
An ER doctor and professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School, Dr. Scheele, came up with the idea to use the generic drug Ivermectin.
This drug has been used for years to treat patients with parasites in under-developing countries, killing insects like scabies and lice.
A research team first tested the drug on mice with bedbugs. Then they began testing on themselves. Scheele recalls, "we let the bed bugs feed on us and then we set them aside. Then we took the Ivermectin, then we took another tube of bed bugs and let them feed on us and set them aside."
Within 48 hours the adult bed bugs that bit after taking Ivermectin died.
The team hopes to find a drug company, or even hotel chain, willing to fund additional research.
