Tylenol is a popular American brand of pain reliever and fever reducer. It is owned by Johnson & Johnson. The active ingredient in tylenol is acetaminophen. It is extremely popular because it is available without prescription and it is effective with few side effects, but overdoses of Tylenol are serious and can be fatal.

There are a wide array of different varieties of Tylenol available today including extra-strength, children's, longer-lasting, and sleep aiding.

The active ingredient of Tylenol is no longer patented and the continued success of Tylenol is largely due to marketing and the backing of the massive Johnson & Johnson Corporation.

Tylenol was introduced in 1955 by J&J subsidiary McNeil Consumer Products Co. as one of the first alternatives to Aspirin, which at that time was being shown to have some negative health effects. It was originally marketed mainly towards children, but soon came to dominate the North American pain-killer market.

On September 30, 1982, the Tylenol scare began when the first of seven individuals died in metropolitan Chicago after ingesting Extra Strength Tylenol that contained cyanide. While the crime was never solved and Tylenol sales temporarily collapsed, the brand was rebuilt and had recovered in only a few years.

Tylenol remains a top seller, controlling about 35% of the pain killer market in North America.

For many years, the spokeswoman for Tylenol brand pain reliever was Falcon Crest actress Susan Sullivan.

Related topics

• Acetaminophen
• Tylenol scare

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• Tylenol