Acetaminophen risks are a very serious problem in the United States, (related, in part, to medication errors), as the drug is known to damage healthy livers when to much acetaminophen is ingested by the person seeking pain relief.
Acetaminophen kills people because it is toxic to the human liver at certain dosage levels, period. No one is debating this issue any longer.
Still, acetaminophen is sold almost everywhere in this country today, in all sorts of products, and here in Florida you can buy Tylenol — perhaps the most popular form of acetaminophen on the market — at any local gas station, convenience store, hotel lobby, or grocery store. You probably have a bottle handy in your home or where you work.
Consider this from our earlier discussion on the dangers of acetaminophen: it is considered the leading cause of acute liver failure in the United States today. It is found in all sorts of over the counter products, from pain medications like Tylenol to cold and flu relief items like Nyquil and allergy medications like Benadryl.
(To keep up with the latest regarding acetaminophen injuries in the United States, checkout the ProPublica work as it is published at their acetaminophen reporting site. ProPublica has been fighting against the dangers of acetaminophen for many years now.)
McNeil Consumer Healthcare Responds to Tylenol Acetaminophen Danger with New Warning Label on the Bottle Cap
What are drug manufacturers doing about the problem of people getting hurt from their pain products? The makers of Tylenol have announced that they are going to place a new warning label on the bottle caps of all Tylenol products. These red-color warnings will advise the reader that Tylenol contains acetaminophen and that acetaminophen can cause liver damage or liver failure and death.
That’s right: the drug maker is putting a warning on the cap — trusting that the consumer is going to take the time to read that stuff before popping a couple of Tylenol for that backache or hangover. The top of the white bottle cap will state in red letters: “CONTAINS ACETAMINOPHEN” and “ALWAYS READ THE LABEL.” (To see what the new caps will look like, go here.)
McNeil also publishes a website “getreliefresponsibly.com“ which provides all sorts of information about the dangers of acetaminophen. That’s for people who are taking the time to research acetaminophen online, of course.
More and More Wrongful Death Lawsuits Being Filed Because of Acetaminophen Liver Failure
It’s being reported that the maker of Tylenol is putting this warning label on the Tylenol bottle caps as a way of dealing with all of the personal injury lawsuits that are being filed all over the nation by the victims of Tylenol-related injuries and fatalities who are seeking compensation for their pain and suffering and wrongful death. In fact, the Associated Press is reporting this week that over 85 different cases have been filed against the manufacturer of Tylenol because of liver damage to users of the product in federal courthouses all across the country. These are individual lawsuits; so far, no “class action” lawsuit has been filed based upon Tylenol injuries.
Pain Pills and Other Medications With Acetaminophen Being Sold That Can Hurt or Kill You
As long as acetaminophen is a commonplace component in all sorts of popular drugs and medications, then people are going to face the potential for an injury related to a medication error and/or drug mistake where too much acetaminophen enters their system (or their child’s system or their spouse or other loved one). Do we really think that putting the red warning label on the Tylenol bottle cap is sufficient to stop this epidemic? Does McNeil?
Until the federal government acts to control the reality of liver damage and failure caused by acetaminophen, then filing claims for damages or wrongful death in a personal injury lawsuit seems to be the only vehicle for justice.
After all, ProPublica reports that there are over 600 different products out there with acetaminophen as an ingredient. Tylenol – with its new warning label on its bottle cap — is just one of them.
