U.S. Health Coalition Calls for Continued Education on Acetaminophen, America's Most Common Drug Ingredient

WASHINGTON, July 31, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today's Consumer Reports story on prescription and non-prescription pain relievers serves as an important reminder for consumers of the importance of taking medicines safely and reinforces the importance of initiatives such as the Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition's (AAC) Know Your Dose consumer education campaign. Formed in 2010, the Coalition is a group of leading health, healthcare provider and consumer organizations dedicated to educating consumers on safe acetaminophen use to prevent overdose.

One of the most commonly used pain relievers in the United States is acetaminophen, found in more than 600 different over-the-counter and prescription medicines. More than 50 million Americans rely on an acetaminophen-containing medicine each week to safely and effectively treat pain, fever, and the aches and pains associated with cold and flu.

The AAC's Know Your Dose campaign reminds consumers to always read and follow your medicine label, know if your medicines contain acetaminophen, and never take two medicines that contain acetaminophen at the same time. Most recently, the AAC issued a report and educational resource, "Acetaminophen: How It's Used, Preventing Overdose and What We Can Do to Promote Safe Use," that reviews the dosing behaviors that can lead to acetaminophen overdose and explores the successful impact of ongoing education campaigns to drive safe use and prevent overdose-related liver damage.

Coordinated and comprehensive educational initiatives have launched in recent years to promote safe acetaminophen use across multiple channels via multiple stakeholders collaborating together. Over the last three years, acetaminophen safe use educational messages have reached consumers more than one billion times, stemming from aligned acetaminophen education initiatives that include the Know Your Dose campaign, National Consumers League's Life Smarts, National Council on Patient Information and Education's MUST for Seniors, FDA's Safe Use Initiative, and McNeil Consumer Healthcare's Get Relief Responsibly. These efforts are having an impact on consumer knowledge and perceptions surrounding acetaminophen safe use. Findings from a recent national survey show that consumers' acetaminophen safe use knowledge and risk awareness has increased.

The Know Your Dose campaign is an initiative of the Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition (AAC). Coalition members include the Alliance for Aging Research, National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation, American Academy of Physicians Assistants, National Community Pharmacists Association, National Consumers League, American Pharmacists Association, National Council on Patient Information and Education, and CHPA Educational Foundation. Advisors to the Coalition include the American Academy of Pediatrics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Visit www.KnowYourDose.org for more information and follow the campaign on Twitter @KnowYourDose.

SOURCE Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition