Box 1: Acetaminophen Use
In 2005, U.S. consumers purchased more than 28 billion doses of products containing acetaminophen of which:
• Single ingredient OTC products (e.g., Tylenol) represented 8 billion doses.
• Combination OTC products (e.g., NyQuil and Theraflu), represented more than 9.7 billion doses.
• Acetaminophen-containing Rx narcotics represented 11 billion doses.
– Between 2001 and 2005, use of these combination Rx products increased 38%.
– There were more than 182 million prescriptions for combination Rx products in 2005.
– The most frequently used acetaminophen-containing prescription product is the
hydrocodone/acetaminophen combination. It has been the most frequently dispensed Rx drug since
1997.