CALCIUM GLYCEROPHOSPHATE AND SODIUM GLYCEROPHOSPHATE OMITTED FROM N. N. R.

Report of the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry

Calcium glycero­phosphate and sodium glycero­phosphate were accepted for New and Non­official Remedies chiefly in order that these products might be standardized. These mixtures now being defined in the new edition of the U. S. Pharmacopeia, this reason for including them in N. N. R. no longer exists. The report of Marshall (The Journal, Feb. 13, 1915, p. 573) which has the endorsement of the Council (The Journal, Sept. 30, 1916, p. 1033) shows that organic phosphorus compounds are split up into inorganic phosphates before absorption, that the animal organism can synthesize its complex organic phosphorus constituents from inorganic phosphates and consequently that the glycero­phosphates, so far as their phosphorus value is concerned, are not superior to other phosphates. In fact, sodium and phosphate are more effectively administered as neutral or acid phosphate. It is evident that sodium glycero­phosphate is a superfluous pharmaceutical preparation, particularly when the difficulty of obtaining a pure product and its high price is considered. So far as its calcium value is concerned, calcium glycero­phosphate has no advantages over such calcium salts as the carbonate, phosphate, lactate, or chlorid. In view of the foregoing, the Council directed that sodium glycero­phosphate and calcium glycero­phosphate be omitted from New and Non­official Remedies.—(From Reports of Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry, 1916, p. 52.)