Drug Database
PA

paracetamol (Kid Relief / Tachipirina)

✓ Approved

Ethypharm Corp. · PTGS1 · Small Molecule

What is paracetamol?

paracetamol is a small molecule developed by Ethypharm Corp.. It is approved for therapeutic indications via oral (po).

Drug Profile

Brand NamesKid Relief, Tachipirina
CompanyEthypharm Corp.
Drug ClassSmall Molecule
Molecular TargetPTGS1, PTGS2
RouteOral (PO)
StatusApproved
Sources: ClinicalTrials.gov, Ethypharm Corp.

Mechanism of Action

Molecular Targets

paracetamol acts on 2 molecular targets:

PTGS1prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 1 (COX3, PCOX1)
PTGS2prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (GRIPGHS, hCox-2)
Want deeper analysis?Noah AI can explain complex mechanisms and compare to similar drugs.

Therapeutic Indications

paracetamol is developed for 1 unique indication across 1 therapeutic area.

Therapeutic AreaConditionPhase
Gastrointestinal disordersAbdominal pain✓ Approved

Related Research Articles

PubMedAnesthesia and pain medicine2026-08-25

An evaluation of transdermal buprenorphine and transdermal fentanyl patch on quality of recovery-15 and analgesic effect following inguinal hernia surgery: a randomized controlled study.

A Chaitanya Pratyusha CP, Ch Rama Krishna Prasad RKP, Garre Sandeep S, S Kalyani Sdl KS et al.

Effective postoperative analgesia is essential for optimizing recovery and patient satisfaction after inguinal hernia surgery. Therefore, we compared transdermal buprenorphine and fentanyl patches with conventional analgesia for pain control and quality of recovery-15 (QoR-15). In this prospective, randomized study 150 patients classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I-III scheduled for elective open inguinal hernia repair were randomized into three groups; (n=50 each) Group B (buprenorphine 10 µg/h patch), Group F (fentanyl 25 µg/h patch), and Group C (intravenous paracetamol and tramadol). Patches were applied 12 h preoperatively. The primary outcome was visual analog scale (VAS) pain score, assessed at 1, 6, 12, and 24 h. Secondary outcomes included QoR‑15 scores and rescue‑analgesic requirements. Statistical analysis was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests with Bonferroni correction. Baseline demographic characteristics and perioperative hemodynamic parameters were comparable across groups. Median postoperative VAS scores at 6, 12, and 24 h were significantly lower in both transdermal groups than in the control group. QoR-15 scores at 24 h were 124 (122-125) (C), 127 (125-129) (F), and 133 (131-134) (B), at 48 h were 129 (128-130), 136 (134-138), and 137 (135-139) for Groups C, F, and B, respectively (P = 0.001). Transdermal buprenorphine and fentanyl provided effective postoperative analgesia and were associated with improved quality of recovery compared with standard analgesia. Buprenorphine showed a significant advantage over fentanyl in QoR-15 at 24 h, however, this difference was not significant at 48 h.

PMID 42638571
Read full article →
PubMedNeurotoxicology2026-08-24

Prenatal Paracetamol Exposure and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Critical Review of Proposed Mechanisms, Epidemiological Evidence, and Causal Inference.

Hasanain Rayyan Saleh RS, Al-Kuraishy Hayder M HM, Shokr Mustafa M MM, Kafy Souzan S et al.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior. Recent claims linking prenatal exposure to paracetamol (acetaminophen), the most commonly analgesic during pregnancy, to increased risk of ASD. This review aims to critically evaluate the validity of these associations, clarify potential biological mechanisms, and provide a balanced, evidence-based perspective to inform clinical practice. Although several observational cohort studies report statistical associations between in utero paracetamol exposure and ASD, these findings are often limited by confounding. Maternal conditions necessitating pain treatment, such as infection or fever, are themselves established risk factors for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. Greater emphasis here is therefore placed on robust study designs, particularly sibling-comparison analyses, which account for shared genetic and environmental influences. These epidemiological studies control for unmeasured confounders and consistently demonstrate attenuation or absence of previously reported associations, suggesting that paracetamol exposure is unlikely to be causative. This review also examines proposed mechanistic pathways, including mitochondrial dysfunction and inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase, but finds insufficient evidence to support a clinically meaningful effect in humans. Given the known risks of alternative therapies, particularly non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs during pregnancy, paracetamol remains the recommended first-line treatment for pain and fever. Overall, current evidence does not support a significant increase in ASD risk, and clinical guidelines should remain unchanged.

PMID 42637096
Read full article →
PubMedPharmacological reports : PR2026-08-24

preSCRIPT: Large-scale prescription search and annotation engine for pharmacogenomic studies.

Pieczarka Maria M, Pieńkowski Paweł P, Konowalska Paula P, Grubarek Sylwia S et al.

Pharmacogenetics (PGx) has traditionally focused on a small number of high-impact variants affecting drug response due to the fact that PGx studies are labor-intensive and therefore low-throughput. Population biobanks linked to electronic health records (EHRs), including the UK Biobank (UKB) with prescription data for ~ 230,000 individuals offer opportunities to scale PGx research. This, however, comes with a challenge as EHRs do not provide direct treatment response outcomes. One way to overcome this is to draw indirect drug response phenotypes from prescription records. Here, we propose preSCRIPT, a framework to filter and annotate raw prescriptions from the UKB to derive phenotypes for analyses which includes an algorithm to distinguish short prescription gaps from true dose changes. As a proof of concept, we applied preSCRIPT to warfarin, paracetamol, codeine, amitriptyline, simvastatin, aspirin, and amlodipine and derived therapy length and median daily doses. We tested associations for those seven drugs and two phenotypes across single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes, and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles. We recovered known associations such as CYP2D6 variants with amitriptyline therapy length and dose, CYP2C9/CYP4F2/CYP2C19 with warfarin dose, and CYP2D6 with codeine dose. For drugs without formal PGx guidelines, we identified an association between CYP2D6 enzyme activity and aspirin therapy length and several SNPs, including rs62471929 (CYP3A5), a variant for amlodipine dose, which reached nominal significance in an independent hold-out set. Overall, preSCRIPT provides a scalable framework for prescription-based discovery in pharmacogenomics. As a proof of concept it recovers established PGx associations and nominates novel, hypothesis-generating candidate loci.

PMID 42635959
Read full article →
PubMedEquine veterinary journal2026-08-24

Analgesic use, safety and pharmacokinetics of acetaminophen in equids: A structured scoping review.

Medina-Bautista Francisco F, Serrano-Rodríguez Juan Manuel JM, Granados María Del Mar MDM

Despite its frequent use in equine clinical practice, scientific data on the use of acetaminophen in horses remain limited. To map and critically appraise the available evidence on the analgesic use, safety and pharmacokinetics of acetaminophen in horses. Structured scoping review. A comprehensive search was performed in accordance with the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews using the terms '(paracetamol OR acetaminophen) AND (pain OR safety OR toxicosis OR pharmacokinetics) AND (horse OR pony OR donkey OR mule)' across Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed from database inception to 27 July 2025. Experimental and clinical studies, reviews and case reports evaluating acetaminophen in equids were eligible. Publications without acetaminophen information about analgesia, safety or pharmacokinetics in horses were excluded. Each article was screened and charted according to study design, level of evidence (LoE) (methodological robustness) and thematic domain by two evaluators. Of the initial 45 articles, 27 met eligibility criteria. Ten studies were classified as LoE 1, six as LoE 2, seven as LoE 3, and four as LoE 5. Based on study design and thematic domain, the included publications comprised four categorised as 'case reports', seven as 'narrative reviews', one as 'prospective comparative studies', 11 as 'pharmacokinetics', and four as 'pharmacokinetics and concentration-effect relationship'. Limited number of clinical studies and heterogeneity of available evidence. This review highlights the growing but still limited evidence on acetaminophen use in horses. While pharmacokinetic data are robust, clinical trials remain scarce and underpowered. Acetaminophen appears promising as part of multimodal analgesia, yet its efficacy as a sole agent and long-term safety require further investigation before widespread clinical adoption.

PMID 42634193
Read full article →
PubMedVeterinary anaesthesia and analgesia2026-08-22

Suspected amantadine-induced hypoglycaemia in a dog treated for chronic lumbosacral pain.

Shahira Anisa A, Medina-Serra Roger R, Adam Fiona F, Zoff Aurora A

Amantadine is an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist commonly used as part of multimodal analgesia in dogs with chronic pain. Although adverse effects are not well documented in veterinary medicine, hypoglycaemia has been reported in humans following amantadine use. This case report highlights a 14.5-year-old female Labrador Retriever referred for investigation of episodic weakness associated with documented hypoglycaemia. The dog was being administered gabapentin, paracetamol, and amantadine for chronic lumbosacral pain. Initial diagnostic investigation, including haematology, biochemistry, and adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test, did not identify an underlying cause of hypoglycaemia. Continuous glucose monitoring confirmed recurrent hypoglycaemic episodes. Amantadine was discontinued during glucose monitoring, after which the hypoglycaemia gradually resolved. No further episodes of weakness or hypoglycaemia were reported during a 20-month follow-up period. Other causes of hypoglycaemia, including hypoadrenocorticism and toxin exposure, were considered unlikely based on diagnostic findings and clinical course, although insulinoma was not definitively excluded. A temporal association between amantadine administration and hypoglycaemia, together with resolution following drug discontinuation, suggests a potential causal relationship. This case represents the first report of suspected amantadine-associated hypoglycaemia in a dog and highlights the need to consider this drug as a possible cause of hypoglycaemia in dogs.

PMID 42632322
Read full article →
PubMedPharmacoepidemiology and drug safety2026-08-22

A Catalogue of Dispensation Lengths for Building Treatment Episodes-Application of the Waiting Time Distribution to All Commonly Prescribed Drugs in Denmark.

Reilev Mette M, Rasmussen Lotte L, Olsen Jonas Kanstrup JK, Ernst Martin Thomsen MT et al.

In pharmacoepidemiologic research, correct assignment of the length of single dispensation is critical to build treatment episodes. The parametric reverse waiting time distribution (rWTD) is a particularly attractive data-driven method to estimate dispensation lengths. To provide an easily accessible resource of estimated dispensation lengths covering all commonly used drugs for use in treatment episode building in applied pharmacoepidemiologic research. We used a random 20% sample of the Danish population alive after 1st January 2000 and identified all their prescriptions filled between 2010 and 2022. We applied the rWTD with five random index dates for each individual to estimate parameters that allow calculation of dispensation length estimates. Parameters were estimated with and without age, sex, and dispensed amount as covariates. We present estimated dispensation lengths for the 20 most prescribed drugs and drug classes in Denmark. Estimated dispensation lengths for all drugs are provided online, and in a spreadsheet. The most prescribed drug was paracetamol with an estimated dispensation length of 194 days, while atorvastatin was the most commonly used drug indicated for long-term use with an estimated dispensation length of 165 days. The dispensation lengths for drugs varied according to age, dispensed volume, sex, and over time. This is a comprehensive overview of dispensation lengths for all commonly prescribed drugs registered in the Danish National Prescription Registry. Data presented in an online resource can be utilized and modified by other researchers providing optimal conditions for high quality pharmacoepidemiologic research.

PMID 42629003
Read full article →

+9996 more articles available with a free account

Sign up free to view all articles →

Ask about paracetamol