Are new painkillers on the horizon?

Our Take

The Chicago Tribune recently posed an interesting question – "Will FDA warnings prompt innovation in over-the-counter painkillers?"

Their argument is that there has not been many new initiatives when it comes to this area.

"Not much new has happened in the realm of over-the-counter painkillers in recent decades," the newspaper wrote. "Aleve, or naproxen, hit the OTC market in 1994. Tylenol, which contains acetaminophen, was approved for OTC sales in 1959. Aspirin has been around for more than a century."

When ibuprofen was approved for over-the-counter use in the U.S., Ronald Reagan was president and Duran Duran’s “The Reflex” topped the Billboard chart. Could any new painkillers be on the way. The Food and Drug Administration last week issued new warnings about the risk of heart attack and stroke from over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, including pain relievers ibuprofen and naproxen.

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