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Shocking truth about 'rapid release' Tylenol sold in pharmacies across the US
If you're in pain and want quick relief, you may want to avoid Tylenol's rapid release gels.
They cost three dollars more than the standard pills yet take even longer to reduce feelings of pain.
The difference was highlighted Wednesday after a proposed class action lawsuit against Tylenol's manufacturer, Kenvue — part of Johnson and Johnson — over the 'misleading' labeling was dismissed.
The above graphic compares Tylenol 'rapid release' gelcaps to the Tylenol original. Despite the $3 gap in price at CVS, the original acts faster than the rapid version
Consumer Evie Collaza, from New York, was leading the class action lawsuit seeking an undisclosed payment over marketing the products as 'rapid release'.
She said she would not have bought the bills if she had realized they did not work as rapidly as the original versions.
In the proposed lawsuit, she cited a 2018 study that found the pills took 23 seconds longer on average to work than the standard versions.
'Rapid release' Tylenol also costs $8.29 for 24 tablets at CVS, compared to $5.29 for the same number of tablets of the standard version.
In the 2018 study, the 'rapid release' Tylenol Extra Strength 500mg tablets and similar brands were found to take about 3minutes 56seconds to dissolve by at least 80 percent — the threshold for action in the body.
For comparison, the same study found that Tylenol Extra Strength 500mg took 3minutes and 33seconds to dissolve on average — or about 23 seconds faster.
It is the latest proposed class-action lawsuit to be dismissed by judges (stock image)
Ms Collaza saud the difference meant she was owed compensation.
But US District Judge Andrew Carter in Manhattan disagreed, saying that the term 'rapid release' was similar to the term 'immediate release' — which the FDA has defined.
In the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), it defines it as tablets containing acetaminophen — the drug in Tylenol — dissolving by at least 80 percent within 30 minutes.
The judge found the term 'rapid release' was within this definition, and dismissed the proposed case.
Johnson and Johnson have also previously claimed that the 'rapid release' label refers to a comparison to a regular gelcap, and not a tablet.
They also said that the laser-drilled holes in the gelcap are the cause for the difference in pricing.
It is just the latest class-action lawsuit over the pricing difference to be dismissed, after cases in California and Massachusetts were also thrown out of court.
In December 2022, grocery store chain and pharmacy operator Albertsons also won a dismissal of a proposed class-action lawsuit over the labeling.
US District Judge Richard Stearns ruled at the time that 'rapid release' was a term that 'closely resembles' the phrase 'immediate release'.
He said: 'To find otherwise would require the FDA to list phrases in every possible permutation of similar words to have pre-emptive effect.'
Tylenol is a popular over-the-counter painkiller in the US, with more than 60million Americans estimated to take the drug every week.
It is most commonly taken by people with mild to moderate pain, including those suffering from headaches, toothaches, menstrual cramps, fevers and colds.
It works via inhibiting an enzyme that is responsible for the production of chemicals that send pain signals to the brain.
But some experts say it also has a placebo effect, where someone feels their pain has improved simply because they took the tablet.
For 500 milligram strength tablets, like those listed above, doctors recommend taking about one tablet every four to six hours and no more than six tablets a day. There should also be an at least four-hour gap between each dose.