paracetamol
(also known as acetaminophen). Its history is part of the broader
history of this widely used pain reliever and fever reducer, which dates
back to the late 19th century.
General History of Paracetamol/Acetaminophen
Synthesis and Early Use:
Paracetamol was first synthesized by Harmon Northrop Morsein 1878. It
was used clinically by Joseph von Mering in 1893, though its commercial
use was limited at the time due to concerns about side effects (which
were later linked to impurities or a minor metabolite of its chemical
cousin, phenacetin).
Rediscovery and Commercialization: In the late 1940s, research by Brodie and Axelrod demonstrated that paracetamol was the active metabolite of acetanilide and phenacetin, and importantly, did not cause the blood-related side effects associated with the latter. This research paved the way for its widespread adoption.
In the United States, it was first marketed in 1950 under the name Triagesic (a combination drug), and then as Children's Tylenol Elixir in 1955. In the United Kingdom, 500 mg tablets were sold as Panadol starting in 1956.
Rise in Popularity: Paracetamol's popularity soared, particularly in the 1980s, when aspirin was linked to Reye's syndrome in children. This led to paracetamol becoming the primary recommended analgesic and antipyretic for pediatric use, with a subsequent reduction in Reye's syndrome cases.
Although many billions of doses of acetaminophen/paracetamol are consumed each year,
scientists have yet to discover its mode of action. Its mechanism was believed to have been established in the 1970s and again in the 2000s, but neither of these theories survived scrutiny. It’s especially important to understand how acetaminophen works because of its well-known toxicity to the liver.
