Benzalkonium chloride/lidocaine (trade name Bactine among others) is an

antiseptic An antiseptic ( and ) is an antimicrobial substance or compound that is applied to living tissue to reduce the possibility of sepsis, infection, or putrefaction. Antiseptics are generally distinguished from ''antibiotics'' by the latter's abil ...

, first-aid treatment distributed by Wellspring Pharmaceutical Corporation. Bactine was developed in 1947 and first marketed in 1950 by

Miles Laboratories Miles Laboratories (originally the Dr. Miles Medical Company) was a pharmaceutical company founded in Elkhart, Indiana, in 1884 by Dr. Franklin L. Miles, a specialist in the treatment of eye and ear disorders, with an interest in the connection ...

. It is a topically applied

first aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with a medical emergency, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery until medical services arrive. First aid is gener ...

liquid with

active ingredient An active ingredient is any ingredient that provides biologically active or other direct effect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease or to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or animals. ...

benzalkonium chloride Benzalkonium chloride (BZK, BKC, BAK, BAC), also known as alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride (ADBAC) is a type of cationic surfactant. It is an organic salt classified as a quaternary ammonium compound. ADBACs have three main categories of use: ...

(an antiseptic) and

lidocaine Lidocaine, also known as lignocaine and sold under the brand name Xylocaine among others, is a local anesthetic of the amino amide type. It is also used to treat ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. When used for local anae ...

(a topical anaesthetic). As an antiseptic, Bactine can help to prevent infections, while the topical anesthetic in Bactine serves to numb the surface of a body part and temporarily relieve pain and itching on the skin. Bactine was introduced in an article in the May 14, 1950, issue of the Sunday newspaper supplement ''Parade'' magazine, where an article noted that "Sometime in the next two weeks you may be able to buy what promises to be one of the most useful antiseptics ever put in your medicine chest." Originated by Miles Laboratories,

Bayer Bayer AG (English: , commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies and biomedical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer' ...

continued to produce Bactine after it acquired Miles in 1995. Bactine was acquired from Bayer by Wellspring in 2015.

References

External links

Bactine product website

Wellspring Consumer Healthcare
Products introduced in 1950 Combination drugs Local anesthetics Antiseptics {{Treatment-stub