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Guestbook
| On 04/21/2005 Verna Cornett from Coeburn, VA wrote: |
Is mercuric oxide yellow ophthalmic ointment still sold?
-- Verna,
Thanks for the great question! Mercuric oxide is no longer manufactured as an ophthalmic antiseptic due to toxicity concerns. Sometimes the benefit versus the risk of yellow mercuric oxide is out weighed. In that situation it is still compounded by various compounding pharmacies as a specialty item.
Mercuric compounds such as yellow mercuric oxide was a mainstay in the treatment of eye infections for many years. Up until the 1950’s yellow mercuric oxide was manufactured by the Lilly company but by the 1960’s it had fallen out of favor. Mercury was taken off the market as an active ingredient in OTC’s in the 1980’s but is still used as a preservative in some vaccines. When mercury is used today it is used only as a organic complex which is more potent and much less toxic. |
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