Hi there,
I found the UK answer to your questions at:
History of Paracetamol
Paracetamol Information Centre
http://www.pharmweb.net/pwmirror/pwy/paracetamol/pharmwebpic5.html
"The first observations about the analgesic and antipyretic properties
of paracetamol were made back in the late nineteenth century when
alternative compounds were being sought to reduce fever in the
treatment of infections."
"...However, it was not until 1948 that Brodie and Axelrod established
that paracetamol was a major metabolite of both phenacetin and
acetanilide. This, and other work, led to the belief that the clinical
effect of these two drugs was entirely due to rapid conversion in the
body to paracetamol. This belief was supported by the observation that
the analgesic and antipyretic effects of paracetamol were of the same
order as those of its parent compound. Some years later, it was shown
that phenacetin had both effects in its own right and that paracetamol
formation was not essential for its pharmacological action. However,
because a very high proportion is converted to paracetamol during
first passage through the liver, phenacetin itself exerts a direct
analgesic effect only at very high doses.
The work of Brodie and Axelrod led to the introduction of 500 mg
tablets of paracetamol in the United Kingdom in 1956, primarily as a
prescription product. In 1963, paracetamol was added to the British
Pharmacopoeia and its popularity as an over-the-counter analgesic
increased rapidly."
In the USA
----------
"Acetaminophen has become a popular drug, especially since 1955 when
it first became available without prescription in the United States."
http://www.omphalos.net/files/medical/ACETAB1.TXT
"Acetaminophen was first described in chemical literature in 1878 but
was not prescribed until 1949."
http://www.acetaminopheneducation.com/history/history.htm
Tylenol was first made available in 1955, and became OTC in 1959:
http://www.tylenol.com/vcrc/aboutus.jhtml?id=vcrc/aboutus/mcneil.inc
Search strategy: "history of paracetamol"
Best wishes,
robertskelton-ga |
