If you are in pain and want quick relief, you may want to avoid Tylenol rapid-release gels.
They cost three dollars more than standard pills, yet take even longer to reduce the sensation of pain.
The difference was highlighted Wednesday after a proposed class-action lawsuit against Tylenol maker Kenvue (part of Johnson and Johnson) over “misleading” labeling was dismissed.
The chart above compares Tylenol Rapid Release Gel Caps to Original Tylenol. Despite the $3 price difference at CVS, the original works faster than the Rapid Release version.
Consumer Evie Collaza of New York led the class-action lawsuit seeking an undisclosed payment for marketing the products as “rapid release.”
He said he would not have bought the tickets if he had realized they did not work as quickly as the original versions.
In the proposed lawsuit, he cited a 2018 study that found the pills took On average, it takes 23 seconds longer to run than standard versions.
“Rapid-release” Tylenol also costs $8.29 for 24 tablets at CVS, compared with $5.29 for the same number of tablets of the standard version.
In it 2018 StudyTylenol Extra Strength 500 mg “rapid-release” tablets and similar brands were found to take about 3 minutes and 56 seconds to dissolve by at least 80 percent, the threshold for action in the body.
For comparison, the same study found that Tylenol Extra Strength 500 mg took 3 minutes and 33 seconds to dissolve on average, or about 23 seconds faster.
This is the latest proposed class action lawsuit to be dismissed by judges (file image)
Ms Collaza said the difference meant she was owed compensation.
But U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter in Manhattan disagreed, saying the term “rapid release” was similar to the term “immediate release,” which the FDA has defined.
In the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), it is defined as tablets that contain acetaminophen (the drug in Tylenol) and that dissolve at least 80 percent within 30 minutes.
The judge found that the term “quick release” fell within this definition and dismissed the proposed case.
Johnson & Johnson has also previously stated that the “rapid-release” label refers to a comparison with a regular gel capsule and not a tablet.
They also said that laser-drilled holes in the gel capsule are the cause of the price difference.
This is just the latest class-action lawsuit over price gouging to be dismissed, after cases in California and Massachusetts were also thrown out of court.
In December 2022, supermarket chain and drugstore operator Albertsons also won dismissal of a proposed class action lawsuit over labeling.
U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns ruled at the time that “quick release” was a term that “closely resembled” the phrase “immediate release.”
He said: “Finding otherwise would require the FDA to enumerate phrases in every possible permutation of similar words to have a preventive effect.”
Tylenol is a popular over-the-counter pain reliever in the U.S., with more than 60 million Americans estimated to take the medication each week.
It is most commonly used by people with mild to moderate pain, including those suffering from headaches, toothaches, menstrual cramps, fever, and colds.
It works by inhibiting an enzyme responsible for producing 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 pill.
For 500-milligram tablets, such as those listed above, doctors recommend taking about one tablet every four to six hours and no more than six tablets per day. There should also be an interval of at least four hours between each dose.