CERELENE NOT ADMITTED TO N. N. R.

Report of the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry

The Council has authorized publication of the following report declaring Cerelene inadmissible to New and Non­official Remedies.

W. A. Puckner, Secretary.

Cerelene, a paraffin preparation for the treatment of burns, was submitted to the Council by the Holliday Laboratories, with the statement that it was composed of 84 per cent. paraffin, 15 per cent. myricyl palmitate, and 1 per cent. purified elemi gum to which is added oil of eucalyptus 2 per cent. and betanaphthol 0.25 per cent. It was explained:

“Myricyl Palmitate is a purified form of Beeswax, free from all impurities, acids, etc., which is solely manufactured by this Company....”

It was also stated that on “special order” Cerelene has been made containing oil of eucalyptus and resorcin, oil of eucalyptus and picric acid, and picric acid alone. The following report on the preparation was presented to the Council by the referee to whom Cerelene had been assigned:

Cerelene is another compound wax for the treatment of burns. According to the work of Sollmann (J. A. M. A., 68:1799, 1917) it is highly improbable that compound mixtures have any advantage over simple paraffin of low melting point. Cerelene must therefore be considered as an unessential modification of paraffin, and as in conflict with Rule 10; unless definite evidence of superiority is submitted. Cerelene mixtures containing medicinal ingredients also appear unscientific since the evidence that the ingredients do not leave the wax has not been successfully contradicted. Finally, the claims made for Cerelene are rather extreme, and would need some revision before they could be accepted.

The A. M. A. Chemical Laboratory reports:

The physical properties of Cerelene are as follows:

Melting point 50.0 C. by U. S. P. method.

Ductility limit

30.5 C.

Plasticity limit

26.4 C.

Not strong at

38   C.

Adheres moderately well; detaches with “pulling.” On heating, readily loses eucalyptol, and a small amount of resinous substance forms in the bottom of the beaker. If Cerelene is heated to 145 C. and cooled, the resulting product no longer has the properties of the original Cerelene.

It is recommended that the preceding report be sent to the Holliday Laboratories, and that unless its superiority over simple paraffins is demonstrated and the unwarranted claims abandoned, Cerelene be declared inadmissible to New and Non­official Remedies for conflict with Rules 6 and 10.

This report was submitted to the Holliday Laboratories with the information that it had been adopted, Oct. 3, 1917. It was also explained that before Cerelene could be accepted, the unofficial and unstandardized constituent “myricyl palmitate” would have to be considered and accepted for New and Non­official Remedies since, for obvious reasons, the Council does not accept a preparation which contains an unofficial and unstandardized substance not in N. N. R.

The Holliday Laboratories acknowledged receipt of the Council’s report and asked that the matter be held in abeyance until the requested evidence had been obtained. Later the Council was advised that the advertising circulars for Cerelene had been withdrawn with the exception of one giving directions for its use. Five months later, the firm stated that experiments were being made “to determine the actual strength of Cerelene in comparison with other paraffin waxes....” Nothing further has been heard from the Holliday Laboratories and no reply has been received to an inquiry made Oct. 12, 1918. The Council therefore authorizes publication of its report declaring Cerelene inadmissible to New and Non­official Remedies.—(From the Journal A. M. A., Feb. 15, 1919).