Acetaminophen

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Abstract
Acetaminophen (N-acetyl-para-amino-**■ phenol) (Fig. 1) has been used as an analgesic and antipyretic for about 80 years. The drug has become increasingly popular during the past 25 years since the recognition that the effects of another widely used para-aminophenol analgesic, phenacetin (acetophenetinin, ethoxyacetanilid), are due primarily to its rapid biotransformation to acetaminophen.1 Today, acetaminophen is marketed in the United States under approximately 50 brand names and in almost 200 proprietary combinations with other drugs.2 Acetaminophen is available without prescription and is being intensively promoted both to the medical profession and to the public as a superior alternative to aspirin. In . . .