The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 2 of 2

by Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry

COO-CH₂-CH₂—N(C₂H₅)₂.HCl

It is prepared according to U. S. patent No. 812554 (issued to Alfred Einhorn, Munich, Germany) by treating para-nitro-benzoyl­chlorid with ethylene chlor­hydrin and diethyl­amin with subsequent reduction of the nitro groups, the resulting product being purified by recrystal­lization.

Procain is employed largely in infiltration anesthesia. It is less toxic than cocain, but its anesthetic action is not sustained. This drawback is overcome by the simultaneous injection of epinephrin, and for this reason procain is often compounded with epinephrin in tablets, thus obviating the necessity of separate solutions.

When the first specimens of the American-made product were submitted through the channels of the Federal Trade Commission, it was necessary to compile a monograph.[240] This was prepared from descriptions in the available literature, mostly from tests described in New and Non­official Remedies, 1918, and the German Pharmacopeia V.

The submitted products were found satisfactory chemically. The toxicity determinations made by Dr. R. A. Hatcher, with the assistance of Dr. Carey Eggleston[241] indicated that none of the specimens are to be considered dangerous when used in ordinary dosage for normal individuals. Therefore the Federal Trade Commission, on recommendation of the Committee on Synthetic Drugs of the National Research Council (aided by the A. M. A. Chemical Laboratory), issued licenses for the manufacture of procain to the Farbwerke-Hoechst Company (which license was later transferred to the H. A. Metz Laboratories), to the Abbott Laboratories, to the Calco Chemical Company and to the Rector Chemical Company.

Subsequently the products of the licensed firms were submitted to the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry, which in turn invoked the aid of the A. M. A. Chemical Laboratory and the Cornell University Pharmacologic Laboratory. Later the Council asked the laboratory to examine the market supply. Altogether, therefore, a number of products were examined which were found to respond satisfactorily to the tests outlined (Table 6).

TABLE 6

Brand	Date Received	Color	Melting Point, C.*	Ash, %
Procain (Abbott), from Committee
on Synthetic Drugs	12/21/17	White	154–155	None
Procain (Abbott), submitted to
Council P. and C.	1/29/18	White	153.5–154.5	None
Procain (Abbott), Gen. Pur. Off.
U. S. Army	8/31/18	White	152.5–153.5	None
Procain (Abbott), Gen. Pur. Off.
U. S. Army, No. 89999	9/30/18	Slight brownish tint	153–154.5	None
Procain (Abbott), Gen. Pur. Off.
U. S. Army, No. 89998	9/30/18	Slight brownish tint	153–154.5	0.005
Procain (Abbott), Gen. Pur. Off.
U. S. Army, No. 89997	10/ 8/18	Slight brownish tint	153–154	None
Procain (Abbott), Gen. Pur. Off.
U. S. Army, No. 89996	11/ 4/18	Slight brownish tint	153.5–154.5	None
Procain (Abbott), Gen. Pur. Off.
U. S. Army, No. 810995	11/ 4/18	Slight brownish tint	153.5–154.5	None
Procain (Calco), from Committee
on Synthetic Drugs	2/ 7/18	White	153.5–154.5	None
Procain (Farbwerke-Hoechst Co.),
submitted to Council	10/24/18	White	153–154	None
Procain (Farbwerke-Hoechst Co.),
submitted to Council	12/10/17	White	153–154.5	None
Procain (Farbwerke-Hoechst Co.),
submitted to Council, market spec. “A 56”	8/ 9/18	White	153.5–154.5	None
Procain (Farbwerke-Hoechst Co.),
submitted to Council, market spec. “A 57”	9/ 9/18	White	153.5–154.5	None
Procain (H. A. Metz Lab.),
market spec. “A 63”	8/23/18	White	153–154	None
Procain (H. A. Metz Lab.),
market spec. “A 57”	9/23/18	White	153–154	None
Procain (Rector), from
Committee on Synthetic Drugs	12/18/17	White	153–154.5	None
Procain (Rector), from
Committee on Synthetic Drugs	5/ 2/18	White	152.5–153	None
Procain (Rector), market spec	8/20/18	Slight brownish tint	153–155	None
Procain (Rector), market spec	8/23/18	Slight brownish tint	153–155	None
Procain (Rector), market spec	8/23/18	Slight brownish tint	153–154.5	None