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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

PubMedMolecules (Basel, Switzerland)2026-10-16

Removal of Paracetamol from Aqueous Solutions Using Activated Carbon Obtained from Methane Pyrolysis-Derived Carbon Black.

Galtsov-Tsientsiala Matvey S MS, Dzeranov Artur A AA, Dudoladov Alexander O AO, Dzhardimalieva Gulzhian I GI et al.

Paracetamol (PCT), along with other pharmaceutical pollutants, increasingly requires removal from wastewater, whereas carbon black produced via methane pyrolysis can serve as a reliable and sustainable carbon source for the corresponding sorbents. This study evaluates the effect of CO2-based high-temperature activation parameters (temperature, duration, feed mass, composition of the activating gas) on the morphology, pore architecture, and PCT adsorption performance of activated carbon obtained from methane pyrolysis-derived carbon black. The sorption capacity of the activated carbon with respect to PCT, as well as the effect of initial pH (5-9) on adsorption isotherms and kinetics were studied. Among the investigated activation conditions (800-1000 °C, 60-180 min and different feed masses), the best-performing material exhibited a BET surface area of 712 m2·g-1 and a total pore volume of 0.44 cm3·g-1 (predominantly slit-shaped mesopores) and was obtained at 1000 °C for 180 min using a mass of 5.65 g. The resulting sorbent exhibits a PCT capacity of 629 mg·g-1 in a neutral medium and 718 mg·g-1 at pH 5. A physisorption mechanism with an adsorption energy of less than 8 kJ·mol-1 was shown. The kinetics of sorption obeyed a pseudo-second-order model with equilibrium within 5 min. The results demonstrated the potential of using activated carbon produced from carbon black (a product of methane pyrolysis) to remove pharmaceutical contaminants from water.

PMID 42883260
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PubMedFrontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland)2026-10-15

Comparative evaluation of the antipyretic and analgesic efficacy and safety of a fast-release paracetamol 650 mg formulation vs. conventional paracetamol formulations in adults with acute febrile or febrile-pain conditions: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Mondal Susobhan S, Ikbal S K Ashik SKA, Agrawal Sumit S, Raykantiwar Amar A et al.

Paracetamol is widely used for management of fever/pain. With increasing emphasis on rapid symptom relief, this study compared the response following a single 650 mg oral dose of four commercially available tablets in acute febrile and febrile-pain conditions. This multicenter, open-label trial (CTRI/2025/12/098995) included adults (18-60 years) with oral temperature ≥38 °C (with/without pain) and symptom onset within ≤72 h. Consenting participants were randomized (1:1:1:1) to receive a single dose of the test fast release test paracetamol (A) and conventional paracetamol (B, C, D) drug. Oral body temperature(digital thermometer) and pain (numerical rating scale (NRS) were assessed at predefined intervals till 90 ± 2 min. Outcomes included magnitude and onset of antipyretic and analgesic effects, adverse events (AEs), and patient satisfaction. Among 220 febrile participants (55% women; mean temperature 38.51 °C), 169 reported pain (mean NRS score 7.31). At 90 ± 2 min, fast release paracetamol demonstrated significantly greater reduction in temperature (1.54 °C), along with the fastest rate of decline (1.03 °C/hr), and the shortest restricted mean time to defervescence (84.27 min), resulting in majority of participants (60.0%) experiencing defervescence (temperature ≤37 °C). Pain reduction was also significantly greater with fast release test paracetamol (5.2 units; 3.4 units/hr), with onset of analgesia (≥30% reduction in NRS score) after a comparatively shorter median time (30 min; conventional, 60-90 min). By 90 ± 2 min, pain resolved (NRS score = 0) in 23.2% (A), 22.5% (B), 11.9% (C), and 6.8% (D) participants, with restricted mean times to resolution being 90.00, 89.25, 89.29, and 90.00 min, respectively. Overall, 82.2% participants reported treatment satisfaction, with likelihood highest for fast-release test paracetamol (A). Four participants reported unrelated, mild/moderate AEs. All evaluated paracetamol 650 mg formulations demonstrated antipyretic and analgesic activity within 90 min, while the fast-release formulation showed earlier and, for several assessed outcomes, greater reductions in temperature and pain. These findings may support consideration of formulation choice when rapid early symptomatic relief is desired. CTRI/2025/12/098995.

PMID 42876821
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PubMedRSC advances2026-10-15

Green photodeposition of Au/TiO2 nanocomposites for wide-range photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceuticals.

González-Ballesteros Noelia N, Espada Inês I, Tavares Carlos J CJ, Lanceros-Méndez Senentxu S et al.

Modifying photocatalytic materials by depositing noble metal nanoparticles is an effective strategy to enhance solar energy conversion. This study developed a UV-driven, one-pot photodeposition method to synthesise Au/TiO2 nanocomposites without chemical reducing agents. The influence of gold loading on physicochemical and photocatalytic properties was investigated. Structural, morphological, and optical analyses confirmed successful Au deposition without altering the TiO2 crystalline structure and also revealed improved colloidal stability and visible-light absorption due to Au surface plasmon resonance. The nanocomposites showed significant generation of reactive oxygen species under UV irradiation, with consistent hydroxyl radical production and increasing singlet oxygen formation at higher gold content. Photocatalytic performance was evaluated by degrading ciprofloxacin, chloroquine phosphate, diclofenac sodium, paracetamol, and fluconazole under UV light and simulated sunlight. A gold loading of 0.5 wt% achieved the highest efficiency, with up to 90% degradation of ciprofloxacin under both irradiation sources. Degradation of other pharmaceuticals ranged from 84% (chloroquine phosphate) to 45% (diclofenac sodium), depending on molecular structure and affinity for the catalyst. This work presents a simple and reproducible UV-driven approach to fabricating Au/TiO2 nanocomposites for the photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceutical pollutants.

PMID 42877240
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PubMedSpectrochimica acta. Part A, Molecular and biomolecular spectroscopy2026-10-15

Vibrational spectroscopy and molecular modeling reveal thermorotameric lipid-tail dynamics of AM404.

Borysiuk Beata B, Kraszewski Sebastian S, Gąsior-Głogowska Marlena M

AM404, a bioactive metabolite of acetaminophen/paracetamol, is a lipid-like signaling molecule whose activity may depend not only on its aromatic-amide head group but also on the conformational behavior of its arachidonoyl tail. We combined temperature-dependent attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) of an air-dried film, a complementary room-temperature Fourier-transform Raman (FT-Raman) fingerprint, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a single AM404 molecule in water, and MD-informed gas-phase density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Between 37 and 45 °C, the ATR-FTIR I(2872)/I(2855) chain-sensitive ratio decreased monotonically from 0.681 ± 0.006 to 0.651 ± 0.008 in technical replicate measurements, while the aromatic-amide region remained spectroscopically stable. The aqueous MD model localized the principal conformational variability to the arachidonoyl tail while preserving broadly similar global compactness across the simulated temperatures. DFT calculations captured the corresponding broad vibrational regions and supported a regional assignment of conformer-sensitive changes to tail-related C-H stretching and skeletal modes; they were not used as a quantitative model of the dried film. The four selected MD-derived conformers occupied a shallow, method-dependent energetic range, and the relative Boltzmann factors calculated from their DFT Gibbs energies are comparative descriptors rather than equilibrium populations. Together, these observations indicate that a modest temperature increase within the physiological-to-fever range is accompanied by detectable changes in the lipid-tail-sensitive response of AM404, while the aromatic-amide region remains comparatively stable. The study provides reference vibrational data for AM404 and identifies the conformationally flexible arachidonoyl tail as the principal molecular region associated with the observed temperature-associated spectral response.

PMID 42880084
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PubMedNanoImpact2026-10-14

Mechanistic insights into the biological effects of environmentally relevant pharmaceutical-loaded real-life polypropylene microplastics in Drosophila melanogaster.

Alaraby Mohamed M, Balsamo Marta M, Abass Doaa D, Elkady Elham Farghal EF et al.

Although the adsorption of pharmaceuticals by microplastics (MPLs) may reduce environmental contaminant concentrations, their effects on bioavailability and biological toxicity following ingestion remain poorly studied. To mimic environmentally relevant exposure, environmentally relevant polypropylene microplastics (PP-MPLs) derived from post-consumer plastic products (real-life) were used as carriers for the pharmaceuticals paracetamol (PCM) and ciprofloxacin (CFX), using Drosophila larvae in vivo model. Free PCM and CFX were tested at concentrations equivalent to their respective adsorption loadings on PP-MPLs (0.03% and 0.02% w/w, respectively), enabling direct comparison under environmentally realistic conditions. PP-MPLs, with or without adsorbed pharmaceuticals, retained their irregular morphology and heterogeneous size distribution, representing an environmentally relevant mixture of micro- and nanoscale particles. Following oral exposure, PP-MPLs, either alone or carrying adsorbed pharmaceuticals, sequentially traversed the intestinal barrier penetrating the peritrophic membrane, accumulating within enterocytes, and ultimately reaching hemolymph. Particle exposure induced extensive enterocyte vacuolation, significantly increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and triggered targeted gene-expression changes involving antioxidant, immune, detoxification, and stress-response pathways, while genes associated with digestive function were consistently deregulated. Despite elevated oxidative stress, PP-MPLs did not alter mitochondrial membrane potential. In contrast, free PCM induced significant mitochondrial depolarization without increasing ROS, whereas this effect was abolished following adsorption onto PP-MPLs, potentially due to reduced bioavailability. Moreover, pharmaceutical-loaded PP-MPLs did not elicit additive molecular toxicity compared with PP-MPLs alone.

PMID 42874708
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PubMedCurrent pharmaceutical design2026-10-14

Rational Use of Analgesic Agents in Elderly Patients: Implications of the Beers Criteria and STOPP/START Algorithms.

Kukul Güven Fatma Mutlu FM, Ucar Asli Bahar AB, Inci Ozlem O, Unaldi Mehmet M et al.

Pain affects approximately 30% of community-dwelling older adults and more than half of nursing-home residents but remains undertreated because age-related pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes render standard analgesic dosing hazardous. This review synthesises the evidence on rational analgesic prescribing in older adults, comparing the American Geriatrics Society 2023 Beers Criteria with STOPP/START version 3. In this structured narrative review, PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched (January 2000-May 2026), combining analgesic-class terms with the Beers Criteria, STOPP/START, potentially inappropriate medications, deprescribing and older age. Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomised trials, large observational studies and guidelines in English were eligible; studies confined to patients younger than 65 years were excluded. Analgesics are principal drivers of inappropriate prescribing: STOPP/START version 3 identified at least one potentially inappropriate medication in 73% of geriatric outpatients versus 56% under version 2, NSAIDs and aspirin being the most prevalent new criteria. The Beers Criteria designate meperidine, non-selective oral NSAIDs, anticholinergic tricyclic antidepressants, and opioid-benzodiazepine or opioidgabapentinoid combinations as highest risk; meperidine is most strongly associated with unplanned hospitalisation (OR 2.37). The instruments are complementary, not interchangeable: the Beers Criteria offer broader drug-disease coverage but are aligned with the United States formulary, whereas STOPP/START is bidirectional and more prescriptive on dose and renal thresholds. Neither has been shown to reduce falls, hospitalisation or mortality in adequately powered trials. Stepwise multimodal analgesia beginning with paracetamol and topical agents, initiated at low doses and titrated slowly, with comprehensive geriatric assessment and regular medication review, remains the evidence-based standard of care.

PMID 42872451
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