VANCOUVER – Pramocaine, a topical anesthetic long used in many OTC anti-itch preparations, turns out to itself be a common cause of contact sensitization, Dr. Mariam Abbas reported at the World Congress of Dermatology.
Pramocaine, also known as pramoxine, is an ingredient in Gold Bond cream, some forms of calamine lotion, hemorrhoid relief products, and other OTC antipruritic agents. It’s not available in commercial patch test kits, so Dr. Abbas created a test material comprised of 2% pramocaine in petrolatum.
Seven of 232 patients (3%) referred to a university patch test clinic and who underwent testing to pramocaine along with recognized contact sensitizers showed a clear positive response to pramocaine at 96 hours. The reactions were clinically relevant, according to Dr. Abbas of the University of Alberta, Edmonton.
That 3% positive rate is in the range of published figures for such well-known problem contact sensitizers as neomycin, thiuram mix, and Balsam of Peru.
Dr. Mariam Abbas reported having no financial conflicts regarding this study, conducted free of commercial support.