Study summary
Efficacy of four insect repellents against mosquito bites: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled field study in Senegal
Uzzan B, et al.
- Study type
- Rct
- Year
- 2009
- Published in
- Fundamental & Clinical Pharmacology 23(5):589-594
- Evidence strength
- Definitive evidence
How it was tested
Double-blind randomized placebo-controlled field trial of four commercial repellents under intense malaria-vector biting pressure.
Summary
Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover field trial of icaridin (picaridin) 20%, PMD 20% and 50%, and DEET 50% sprays among 100 volunteers over five nights.
Key findings
All four active repellents provided significant protection versus placebo lasting about 8 hours, with similar duration across products. A non-significant trend favored DEET 50% over PMD 20%. No serious adverse reactions.
Limitations
Single field setting; single application time; modest per-arm sample under the Latin-square design.