View source for Tylenol

{{Short description|Medication}}
{{About|the Tylenol brand of medication|acetaminophen/paracetamol|Paracetamol}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{cs1 config|name-list-style=vanc|display-authors=6}}
{{Infobox brand
| name                   = Tylenol
| image                  = File:Extra Strength Tylenol and Tylenol PM.jpg
| caption                = Tylenol PM (left) and Tylenol
| logo                   = Tylenol-red.svg
| logo_size              = 205px
| producttype            = [[Analgesic]]
| currentowner           = [[Kenvue]]
| country                = United States
| introduced             = {{Start date|1955}}
| discontinued           = 
| related                = 
| markets                = Worldwide
| previousowners         = 
| trademarkregistrations = 
| ambassadors            = 
| tagline                = For What Matters Most 
| website                = {{Official URL}}
}}

'''Tylenol''' is a brand of [[medication]], advertised for reducing [[analgesic|pain]], reducing [[fever]], and relieving the symptoms of [[allergy|allergies]], [[common cold|cold]], [[cough]], headache, and [[influenza]]. An active ingredient in these medications is [[acetaminophen]] (paracetamol), an [[analgesic]] and [[antipyretic]], although other ingredients with significant effects (such as [[codeine]], [[caffeine]] or [[diphenhydramine]]) are included in some variants. Like the [[Generic drug|generic]] names paracetamol and acetaminophen, the brand name Tylenol is derived from a chemical name for the compound, ''N''-ace'''tyl'''-''para''-aminoph'''enol'''.<ref>{{cite web |last=West |first=Nancy |date=2014-07-26 |title=History of Tylenol |url=http://www.nancywest.net/pdfs/McNeilConsumerHealthcareCompany.pdf |website=Nancy West |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250713232028/http://www.nancywest.net/pdfs/McNeilConsumerHealthcareCompany.pdf |archive-date=2025-07-13 |access-date=2025-09-22}}</ref> 

Tylenol is sold by [[Kenvue]], until 2022 part of [[Johnson & Johnson]].<ref>{{cite news | last=Robbins | first=Rebecca | title=Kenvue, the Company Behind Tylenol, Tries to Navigate Its Latest Crisis | website=[[The New York Times]] | date=22 September 2025 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/health/tylenol-autism-kenvue.html | access-date=29 September 2025}}</ref>

==Products==
The active ingredient in Tylenol products is [[acetaminophen]] (known as paracetamol in most countries), a widely used [[over-the-counter drug|over-the-counter]] [[analgesic]] (pain reliever) and [[antipyretic]] (fever reducer).<ref name="Aghababian2010">{{cite book|last=Aghababian|first=Richard V. |title=Essentials of Emergency Medicine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HnbKaRQAXOIC&pg=PA814|date=October 22, 2010|publisher=Jones & Bartlett Publishers|isbn=978-1-4496-1846-9|page=814}}</ref><ref name="Ahmad2010">{{cite book|last=Ahmad|first=Jawad|title=Hepatology and Transplant Hepatology: A Case Based Approach|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ssfSYYb1OHMC&pg=PA194|date=October 17, 2010|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-4419-7085-5|page=194}}</ref> Formulations with additional active ingredients intended to target specific applications are sold under the Tylenol brand. These can include [[codeine]] as [[co-codamol]], [[dextromethorphan]], [[methocarbamol]], [[guaifenesin]], [[pseudoephedrine]], [[caffeine]], [[diphenhydramine]], [[chlorpheniramine]], and [[phenylephrine]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Pain Relief Products for Adults & Children|url=https://www.tylenol.ca/products|website=Tylenol|access-date=August 11, 2017}}</ref> 

Tylenol makes combination products containing acetaminophen and the [[antihistamine]] diphenhydramine under names such as Tylenol PM<ref>{{cite web | title=Tylenol PM Extra Strength- acetaminophen and diphenhydramine hydrochloride tablet, film coated | website=DailyMed | date=1 November 2024 | url=https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=ce58105b-f010-47af-8f31-6dd4ce4e9cba | access-date=29 September 2025}}</ref> in the United States and Tylenol Nighttime<ref>{{cite web | title=Extra Strength Tylenol Nighttime Product information | website=health-products.canada.ca | date=2 October 2012 | url=https://health-products.canada.ca/dpd-bdpp/info?lang=eng&code=87122 | access-date=29 September 2025}}</ref> in Canada.

A form that contains dextromethorphan, pseudoephedrine, acetaminophen, and chlorpheniramine, is sold as Cotylenol.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catalog.md/drugs/co-tylenol.html|title=Co-Tylenol Drug Information, Indications & Other Medicaments on Catalog.md|access-date=December 10, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=CoTylenol oral : Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing |url=http://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-55368/cotylenol-oral/details |access-date=December 10, 2016 |website=WebMD}}</ref>

==History==
{{See also|False or misleading statements by Donald Trump (second term)#Press conference about autism, Tylenol, and vaccines}}
The brand was introduced in 1955 by [[McNeil Laboratories]], a family-owned [[pharmaceutical manufacturer]]. Two brothers took over the company from their father that year, and one of them subsequently learned about acetaminophen, which was not on the US market at the time.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Singer |first=Natasha |date=2010-06-04 |title=Robert L. McNeil Jr., Chemist Who Introduced Tylenol, Dies at 94 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/04/business/04mcneil.html |access-date=2023-11-04 }}</ref> To avoid competing with [[aspirin]], they marketed it as a product to reduce fever in children, packaging it like a red [[Fire engine|fire truck]] with the slogan, "for little hotheads". The [[brand name]] Tylenol and the [[United States Adopted Name]] acetaminophen were generated by McNeil from the chemical name of the drug, ''N''-ace'''tyl'''-''para''-aminoph'''enol''' (APAP).<ref name=":0" />

[[Johnson & Johnson]] bought McNeil in 1959, and one year later the drug was made available [[Over-the-counter drug|over the counter]].<ref name=":0">{{cite news|last1=Miller|first1=Stephen|title=Creator of Tylenol 'For Little Hotheads'|url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748704026204575266780552207418|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|date=May 26, 2010}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Tylenol History|url=https://www.tylenol.com/news/about-us|access-date=February 13, 2022|website=Tylenol}}</ref> In 2023, Johnson & Johnson spun-off its consumer health brands, including Tylenol, into a new company, [[Kenvue]], retaining significant ownership; the company later became completely independent.<ref name=kimberly />  

In 2025, [[Donald Trump|Donald Trump]] made several statements about a controversial and unproven connection between [[autism|autism]] and Tylenol. These statements, about the connection between Tylenol during pregnancy and autism, are based on unreliable sources without scientific evidence.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Murphy|first1=Matt|last2=Devlin|first2=Kayleen|last3=Glider|first3=Lucy|title=Fact-checking claims Trump made about autism|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj07e3rjev2o.amp|work=[[BBC News]]|date=September 23, 2025}}</ref> In October 2025, Texas Attorney General [[Ken Paxton]] filled a lawsuit against Kenvue, claiming that the company violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices–Consumer Protection Act by concealing the risks of Tylenol in relation to autism.<ref>Staff (October 28, 2025) [https://www.aol.com/articles/texas-lawsuit-targets-tylenol-makers-131555298.html "Texas lawsuit targets Tylenol makers over acetaminophen, autism claims"] [[Scripps News]] via [[AOL.com]]</ref>

In November 2025, [[Kimberly-Clark]] announced that it was buying Kenvue in a $40 billion deal, and would thus be the new owner of the Tylenol brand.<ref name=kimberly> Robbins, Rebecca nd Hirsch, Lauren (November 3, 2025) [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/health/tylenol-autism-kimberly-clark-kenvue.html "With Acquisition, Kimberly-Clark Bets That Tylenol Can Weather the Storm"] ''[[The New York Times]]''</ref>

==Recalls==
===1982 Chicago Tylenol murders===
{{Main|Chicago Tylenol murders}}
On September 29, 1982, a "Tylenol scare" began when the first of seven individuals died in the [[Chicago metropolitan area]] after ingesting Extra Strength Tylenol that had been deliberately contaminated with [[cyanide]]. Within a week, the company pulled 31{{nbsp}}million bottles of tablets back from retailers, making it one of the first major [[product recall]]s in American history.<ref name="nytrecall">{{cite news | last=Rehak | first=Judith | title=Tylenol made a hero of Johnson & Johnson : The recall that started them all | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=March 23, 2002 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/23/your-money/IHT-tylenol-made-a-hero-of-johnson-johnson-the-recall-that-started.html | access-date=July 3, 2019}}</ref>

As a result of the crisis, all Tylenol [[Capsule (pharmacy)|capsules]] were discontinued, as were capsules of other brands.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}} Calle & Company conceived the world's first [[tamper-resistant]] gelatin-enrobed capsule called "Tylenol Gelcaps",<ref name=":1" /> which proved to resuscitate the 92% of capsule-segment sales lost to the recall.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}} The tamper-resistant, triple-sealed safety containers were placed on the shelves of retailers ten weeks after the withdrawal, and other manufacturers followed suit.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}} The crisis cost the company more than {{US$|100 million}}, but Tylenol regained 100% of the market share it had before the crisis. {{citation needed|date=September 2025}}

The Tylenol murderer was never found, (though later [[James W. Lewis|James Lewis]] was a prime suspect<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-10 |title=James Lewis, prime suspect in unsolved 1982 Tylenol murders case, dies at 76 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/james-lewis-prime-suspect-unsolved-1982-tylenol-murders-case-dies-76-rcna93459 |access-date=2023-11-04 |website=NBC News }}</ref>) and a {{US$|100,000}} reward offered by [[Johnson & Johnson]] remained unclaimed as of 2023.<ref>{{cite web |title=FBI drops 1982 Tylenol murders task force, local police to lead probe |url=https://abc7chicago.com/archive/9265032/ |publisher=ABC |access-date=June 9, 2021 |date=September 27, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-10 |title=James Lewis, prime suspect in unsolved 1982 Tylenol murders case, dies at 76 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/james-lewis-prime-suspect-unsolved-1982-tylenol-murders-case-dies-76-rcna93459 |access-date=2023-11-04 |website=NBC News }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-10 |title=James Lewis, suspect in the 1982 Tylenol murders, dies at 76 |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/james-lewis-suspect-in-the-1982-tylenol-murders-dies-at-76 |access-date=2023-11-04 |website=PBS NewsHour}}</ref>

Before the poisonings, Tylenol brands held around 35% of the US market for acetaminophen and in the immediate aftermath, fell to 8%. Within a year sales had rebounded to the prior levels.<ref name=PBS/> J&J's handling of the crisis has been widely cited as an example of optimal crisis management.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dezenhall |first=E. |date=March 17, 2004 |title=Tylenol Can't Cure All Crisis |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-03-17-dezenhall_x.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140530084925/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-03-17-dezenhall_x.htm |archive-date=30 May 2014 |access-date=October 8, 2007 |work=[[USA Today]]}}</ref>

These events led to the widespread use of tamper resistance packaging of drugs by drug companies, to the 1982 passage of a US federal law making [[tampering (crime)|tampering]] a crime, and to legislation in 1989 requiring [[Tamper-proof seal|tamper-proof]] packaging.<ref name=PBS>{{cite news|last1=Markel|first1=Howard|title=How the Tylenol murders of 1982 changed the way we consume medication|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/tylenol-murders-1982|publisher=PBS NewsHour|date=September 29, 2014}}</ref>

===2010 Tylenol recalls===
In January 2010, a voluntary recall of several hundred batches of popular medicines was announced, including [[Benadryl]], [[Motrin]], [[Rolaids]], Simply Sleep, St. Joseph Aspirin, and Tylenol.<ref>{{cite news |last=Singer |first=Natasha |date=January 15, 2010 |title=In Recall, a Role Model Stumbles |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/18/business/18drug.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100121032008/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/18/business/18drug.html |archive-date=21 Jan 2010 |access-date=July 3, 2019 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> The recall was due to complaints of a musty smell suspected to be due to contamination of the packaging with the chemical [[2,4,6-tribromoanisole]].<ref>[http://arthritis.webmd.com/news/20091229/tylenol-recall-expands Tylenol recall expands], WebMD, Retrieved January 17, 2010.</ref> The full health effects of 2,4,6-tribromoanisole are not known but no serious events have been documented in medical literature.<ref name=jnj>{{cite press release | title=McNeil Consumer Healthcare Announces Voluntary Recall of Certain Over-The-Counter (OTC) Products in the Americas, UAE, and Fiji | publisher=McNeil Consumer Healthcare  | date=January 15, 2010 | url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mcneil-consumer-healthcare-announces-voluntary-recall-of-certain-over-the-counter-otc-products-in-the-americas-uae-and-fiji-81690712.html | access-date=July 3, 2019}}</ref> The recall came 20 months after McNeil first began receiving and investigating consumer complaints about moldy-smelling bottles of Tylenol Arthritis Relief caplets, according to the US [[Food and Drug Administration]]. The recall included 53 million bottles of over-the-counter products, involving lots in the Americas, the United Arab Emirates, and Fiji.<ref name="reuters.com">{{cite news |last1=Wahba |first1=Phil |last2=Gevirtz |first2=Leslie |date=May 4, 2010 |title=FACTBOX-Johnson & Johnson's recent product recalls |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/johnsonandjohnson-idUSN0412564320100504 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308055139/https://www.reuters.com/article/johnsonandjohnson-idUSN0412564320100504 |archive-date=8 March 2016 |publisher=Reuters}}</ref>

===Children's Tylenol===
{{main article|2010 Johnson & Johnson children's product recall}}
In April 2010, [[2010 Johnson & Johnson children's product recall|another recall]] was issued for 40 products including liquid infant and children's pain relievers Tylenol and [[Motrin]], and allergy medications [[Zyrtec]] and [[Benadryl]].<ref name="reuters.com"/> A report from the US [[Food and Drug Administration]] (FDA) said its inspectors found thick dust and grime covering certain equipment, a hole in the ceiling, and duct tape-covered pipes at the [[Fort Washington, Pennsylvania]], facility that made 40 products recalled. New testing regulations were enacted after the recall to ensure product quality and safety.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-johnsonandjohnson-recall-idUSTRE64367Z20100504 |title=FDA finds grime at J&J plant, urges use of generics|date=May 4, 2010|publisher=Reuters|last=Heavey | first=Susan}}</ref>

In May 2010, the FDA confirmed that the bacterium found at the Johnson & Johnson plant that made the recalled Children's Tylenol was ''[[Burkholderia cepacia]]'', a bacterium often resistant to common antibiotics.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |last=Kavilanz |first=Parija |date=May 5, 2010 |title=Bacteria identified in Tylenol recall |url=https://money.cnn.com/2010/05/05/news/companies/childrens_tylenol_recall_bacteria/index.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710064534/http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/05/news/companies/childrens_tylenol_recall_bacteria/index.htm |archive-date=10 Jul 2012 |access-date=July 3, 2019 |publisher=CNN}}</ref> The bacteria were found on the outside of certain product-containing drums, but not in the finished product. The US [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] stated that ''Burkholderia cepacia'' is not likely to cause health problems for those with healthy immune systems.<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=U.S. [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC) |date=2024-05-16 |title=About Burkholderia cepacia complex |url=https://www.cdc.gov/b-cepacia/about/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217161544/https://www.cdc.gov/b-cepacia/about/index.html |archive-date=17 December 2024 |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=Burkholderia cepacia }}</ref> Those with weaker ones and those with chronic lung diseases, such as [[cystic fibrosis]], could be more susceptible to infection.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tavares |first1=Mariana |last2=Kozak |first2=Mariya |last3=Balola |first3=Alexandra |last4=Sá-Correia |first4=Isabel |date=2020-06-17 |title=Burkholderia cepacia Complex Bacteria: a Feared Contamination Risk in Water-Based Pharmaceutical Products |journal=Clinical Microbiology Reviews |volume=33 |issue=3 |article-number=e00139-19 |doi=10.1128/CMR.00139-19 |issn=0893-8512 |pmc=7194853 |pmid=32295766}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Coutinho |first=Carla P. |date=2011 |title=Long-term colonization of the cystic fibrosis lung by Burkholderia cepacia complex bacteria: epidemiology, clonal variation, and genome-wide expression alterations |journal=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology |volume=1 |page=12 |doi=10.3389/fcimb.2011.00012 |doi-access=free |pmc=3417363 |pmid=22919578}}</ref>

==Advertising==
Tylenol has many different advertisement approaches. One of these advertisement campaigns focuses on "getting you back to normal", whereas the other commercials focus on Tylenol's current slogan, "Feel better, Tylenol". In the "Feel better, Tylenol" commercials, Tylenol places emphasis on the importance of sleep; various people are seen sleeping in this commercial while a voiceover describes how sleep can help repair and heal the human body during times of aches and pains.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/3xgKJyyRFW0 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140608210136/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xgKJyyRFW0 Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xgKJyyRFW0|title=Midori's Tylenol Commercial|date=August 23, 2009|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In the "getting you back to normal" commercial, Tylenol places more emphasis on helping its consumers get back to their daily routines; many different people are shown first experiencing headaches and other sorts of body pain, where a voiceover then states that Tylenol Rapid Release can help rid aches and pains; the various people are then shown enjoying their everyday lives, and are seen as "back to normal".<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/IMo_dmUrW2A Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}}and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20080929010949/http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=IMo_dmUrW2A Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMo_dmUrW2A |title=Tylenol Rapid Release – Suzumiya Haruhi |date=September 12, 2008 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In an older commercial from 1986, four years after the Chicago Tylenol Murders, Tylenol emphasized that it is the drug that American hospitals trust the most. In this ad, [[Susan Sullivan]] told the consumer that Tylenol was a drug that could be trusted by Americans since many doctors also trusted it; she went on to state that doctors prescribed Tylenol four times more often than other leading pain relieving drugs combined.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/i6EBNti7Vo0 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140202115224/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6EBNti7Vo0 Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6EBNti7Vo0|title=Tylenol Commercial (1986)|date=August 19, 2007|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Countries==
{{As of|2021}}, the Tylenol brand is used in Australia,<ref>{{cite web|title=About Us|work=Tylenol Australia |url=https://www.tylenol.com.au/about|access-date=September 17, 2021}}</ref> Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mexico, Myanmar, Netherlands, Oman, Paraguay, the Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Vietnam.<ref name=brands>{{cite web|title=Paracetamol international brands|url=https://www.drugs.com/international/paracetamol.html|publisher=Drugs.com|access-date=January 24, 2020}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Medicine}}
* [[Paracetamol brand names]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{cite web | first1=Jeff |last1=Gerth | first2=T. Christian |last2=Miller | author-link1=Jeff Gerth | author-link2=T. Christian Miller | title=New Court Docs: Maker of Tylenol Had a Plan to Block Tougher Regulation | publisher=ProPublica | date=September 21, 2015 | url=https://www.propublica.org/article/new-court-docs-maker-of-tylenol-had-a-plan-to-block-tougher-regulation }}
* {{cite web |first1=Jeff |last1=Gerth |first2=T. Christian |last2=Miller |author-link1=Jeff Gerth |author-link2=T. Christian Miller |title=New Trial Records: Doctors Recommended Tylenol – But Only at Lower Doses |publisher=ProPublica |date=October 14, 2015 |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/doctors-recommended-tylenol-but-only-at-lower-doses}}

{{Johnson & Johnson|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Analgesics]]
[[Category:Antipyretics]]
[[Category:Drugs developed by Johnson & Johnson]]
[[Category:Medicine in the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Over-the-counter drugs in the United States]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1955]]