Abstract

Mucaine (Wyeth), a combination of 0.2% oxethazaine hydrochloride, an aluminium hydroxide gel and magnesium hydroxide, is offered for the relief of heartburn and indigestion pain due to acid reflux into the oesophagus in hiatus hernia, peptic ulcer, pregnancy, radiation oesophagitis and other conditions. Although oxethazaine has local anaesthetic activity in the rabbit's eye, there are no published reports showing that it has a local anaesthetic effect on the oesophageal mucosa in the concentrations employed in Mucaine.