It should be reaffirmed that mixtures combining peptic and pancreatic activities are not feasible, because pepsin cannot act except in the presence of acid, and pancreatin is destroyed by acid and by peptic activity. Furthermore, in conditions in which pancreatin is called for, pepsin is not, and vice versa; therefore the administration of mixtures of pepsin and pancreatin would be unjustified, even if both constituents could be expected to exert activity. The foregoing observations apply to Lactopeptine in powder and tablet form. While mixtures of pepsin and pancreatin are unscientific and unjustified, theoretically the two substances may coexist in a solid preparation, and the activity of such a preparation is consequently a proper subject of investigation. Theoretically as well as practically, however, pepsin and pancreatin cannot exist together in solution. The claims made for Elixir Lactopeptine and all other liquid preparations sold as mixtures of pepsin and pancreatin are therefore impossible. The Council has previously taken action (The Journal, Feb. 2, 1907, p. 434) refusing to approve for inclusion with New and Nonofficial Remedies such preparations, calling the attention of the medical profession and of manufacturers to their worthlessness, and requesting the American Pharmaceutical Association to instruct its committee on the National Formulary to omit from the next edition of that work a liquid preparation of pepsin and pancreatin recognized under the title of “elixir digestivum compositum.” It is recommended that the Council reaffirm this previous action, and that Lactopeptine and Elixir Lactopeptine be declared ineligible for New and Nonofficial Remedies because of conflict with Rule 10 (“No article will be admitted which, because of its unscientific composition, is useless or inimical to the best interests of the public or of the medical profession”). Manufacturers’ Protest and Council’s Answer The foregoing was submitted, together with the findings of the two referees, to the manufacturers. They protested again, alleging that: AGE OF SPECIMENS _First._--The specimens of Lactopeptine examined by the second referee were old. The dates of manufacture corresponding to the several batch numbers are supplied by the manufacturers as follows: 2275 (Powder) September, 1908 2301 (Powder) June, 1909 2312 (Powder) December, 1909 2348 (Powder) October, 1911 2352 (Powder) December, 1911 2364 (Powder) July, 1912 2374 (Powder) March, 1913 2383 (Powder) October, 1913 1638 (Tablets) October, 1911