When Was Tylenol Created?

Tylenol is a brand name medication used to relieve pain, reduce fevers and relieve cold and flu symptoms. Its active ingredient is acetaminophen, which is also widely known as paracetamol throughout the medical and scientific communities. In the U.S. and in many other parts of the world, Tylenol is the No. 1 brand of acetaminophen-based drug on the market, with worldwide sales topping $1 billion a year as of 2008.

Acetaminophen History

• The creation of Tylenol dates back to the discovery of its active ingredient, acetaminophen, which was almost an accident in itself. In 1886, two French doctors named Arnold Cahn and Paul Hepp were looking for treatments for a parasitic infection in one of their patients. They ordered a supply of naphthalene, a common drug during the period, but they mistakenly received an obscure drug known as acetanilide, which was marketed for pain relief. After trying this drug on the patient, they noticed that it not only cured pain, but reduced fevers.

Acetaminophen and Aspirin

• In 1899, a German scientist named Karl Morner discovered that acetanilide became acetaminophen when ingested and metabolized. Despite his findings, and those of Doctors Cahn and Hepp, this drug remained fairly obscure for the next 50 years. Throughout the early 1950s, aspirin remained the most popular pain reliever in the U.S. By the mid-1950s, however, scientists discovered a link between aspirin and Reye's Syndrome in children. At the time, this disease was particularly deadly. McNeil Laboratories, a Philadelphia-based pharmaceutical company, decided to produce an aspirin alternative containing acetaminophen.

Tylenol is Created

• In 1955, McNeil introduced Tylenol Elixir for Children. This liquid acetaminophen-based drug was available by prescription only and was flavored to appeal to children. Though it was designed for children, it quickly became the dominant pain relief drug in North America. Based on the excellent results the drug was producing, and the low number of complications, McNeil was able to launch the drug over-the-counter in 1959. In 1961, the company added a line of Regular-Strength Tylenol tablets for adults.

Acquisition and Expansion

• In 1959, McNeil Laboratories was purchased by Johnson & Johnson, a large health care and consumer products conglomerate. Despite the acquisition, both McNeil and Tylenol kept their own brand names. The backing of such an established company allowed McNeil to rapidly expand Tylenol sales and products throughout the next two decades. In 1963, the company launched Tylenol with codeine, then added Tylenol Chewable Tablets in 1973. The first Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules were sold in 1975, with Extra-Strength tablets launching the next year. By 1976, Tylenol had become the No. 1 painkiller in the U.S.

Added Products

• In 1982, a criminal tampering case led to seven deaths related to Tylenol. Though the brand was briefly tarnished, sales quickly bounced back when the company introduced a new triple-sealed package design later that year. The 1980s and 90s brought an array of new products, with extra-strength gel caps and Tylenol Cold both introduced in 1988. The next few years brought Tylenol Allergy Sinus in 1989 and Tylenol Cough in 1991. The company's first sleep aid, Tylenol PM, was created in 1992, followed by Simply Sleep in 1999. The 21st century has brought the launch of rapid-release products as well as cooling cold and flu medications.