Tylenol – A Case Study of a Market Leader

Robert McNeal opened a pharmacy in Philadelphia in 1879 that manufactured and sold high quality medicine. His business soon developed a solid reputation and was liked by doctors and hospitals throughout the area, which led to a long business history. By the 1950’s, the pharmacy was producing more than seventy-five products and had become a national laboratory.

The laboratory’s development of Tylenol Elixir for children came at a very crucial time. In 1955 when it was first introduced, researchers had discovered that giving aspirin to children, who had the flu, or chicken pox, were at a greater risk of getting the deadly Rye’s Syndrome. Tylenol Elixir for children is an aspirin free analgesic and is recommended by doctors, instead of aspirin, for this reason. Consumers trusted Tylenol product safety, which led the company to manufacture many other Tylenol products.

In September 1982, there was a tampering incident in which someone was filling Tylenol capsules with Cyanide and then placing them back on the shelf to be sold. Seven people died in the Chicago area from this event. After the first person was admitted to the hospital where they later died, and the cause of death was determined, the alert began to go out through the media. After more people were admitted to the hospital, the Food and Drug Administration made the decision to pull the product off the market.

The company conducted a street survey for about six weeks to see whether the consumers blamed the company for the incident. About ninety percent said they thought the company had been victimized and they still trusted their products. And the company was found blameless for the deaths after the investigation by the FDA. One year later, the company was back at the top of the market with a tamper resistant, triple sealed Tylenol bottle.

In 1986, another incident with Tylenol being laced with cyanide claimed a woman’s life in New York. The culprit cut the seal and poisoned the product with cyanide. The company immediately recalled the product again and tested the capsules for cyanide. After the investigation, the company established a hotline for consumers to contact, if they had information concerning the person(s) responsible for these incidents. The company also offered $100,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the culprit(s). As concern rose, the phrase,” Do not use if the red neck wrap or foil inner seal is broken,” was added to the warning label. The company introduced a caplet in place of the capsule, and the FDA introduced new safety guidelines so the consumers could again trust the use of Tylenol.

The company was able to survive the attacks on their identity. The immediate response to the events in 1982 and 1986, along with the new guidelines developed for safe consumer packaging, helped to re-establish their products as being safe and trustworthy. As a result, Tylenol products rose to the lead again in the market for pain relief and fever control.

Tylenol offers products for many different symptoms. Here are a few available for the most common aches and pains:

• Headaches
• Muscle & Body Pain
• Arthritis Pain
• Allergy & Sinus
• Cold, Flu & Cough
• Pain & Sleeplessness
• Children & Infants

It is very important to follow the directions on the safety label for any medication to insure proper use. Check with a health care provider before giving this product to a child under the age of 12.

Along with the benefits of this product there are also guidelines to follow for safety. Some of them are:

• If you would like to take acetaminophen or any other pain reliever/fever reducer and you consume alcoholic beverages every day, ask you doctor if this would be a safe decision due to the risk of liver damage.
• It is recommended that you do not take more than one product that contains acetaminophen at a time.
• You should stop use of this medication and ask a doctor if the pain gets worse or lasts for more than 10 days, new symptoms begin to occur, swelling or redness begins, or a fever becomes worse or lasts more than three days.
• If you are pregnant or breast-feeding ask your health care professional before use of this product.
• With this medication, if you take more than the recommended dose, it can cause liver damage. Also taking more than the recommended amount can cause an overdose. In the event of an overdose, seek immediate medical help or call the Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222). Even if there are no signs or symptoms, quick medical treatment is critical for adults and children alike.

Tylenol is the #1 pain relief medication recommended by doctors and hospitals for their patients. Its chemical makeup is different from all other pain relievers and will not irritate your stomach like NSAIDs such as aspirin, naproxen, or ibuprofen.