themedicinecounter

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Over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers are medicines that you can buy without a prescription. There are two main types of OTC pain relievers available; acetaminophen which is found in medications like Tylenol, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, known as NSAIDs. NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen (found in Advil and Motrin), and Naproxen(found in Aleve). Some products combine the two, such as Excedrin Extra Strength and Excedrin Migraine.

OTC pain relievers can be very helpful in treating many types of pain, including arthritis, earaches, headaches and back pain. They can also treat pain from the flu, a cold, sinusitis, strep throat or sore throat. Acetaminophen works by targeting the parts of the brain that receive pain messages, and it can be used safely by most people on a long-term basis for chronic conditions. It's also useful for reducing fever by controlling the body's temperature.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)has warned that consuming opioid pain relievers like codeine, oxycodone or hydrocodone just before or during early pregnancy can increase the risk of certain birth defects, especially congenital heart defects.

The warning extends to prescription painkillers including Vicodin, Oxycontin and Tylenol-3, as well as generic versions of these. The overall risk for any individual woman is still relatively modest, according to the CDC, and the study examined only prescription use of the drugs, not illicit use. Congenital heart defects are one of the more common birth defects, affecting nearly 40,000 infants in the US. Many of these will die from the condition in the first year of life, and those that survive may require numerous surgeries. Exposure to the opioid painkillers doubled the risk of having an infant with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, one of the most critical heart defects.

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Both P&G and Teva Pharmaceuticals intend to expand their reach and penetrate developing market, and for this they've partnered to sell over the counter medicines. Their joint venture will include both the companies' over the counter sales in all markets except North America.

The deal will give P&G access to Teva's wide range of over-the-counter drugs, while Teva will benefit from P&G's market presence. The joint venture will be headed by P&G's Tom Finn, and it is expected to add $500 million in over the counter sales to P&G.

The companies are confident that over the counter medicines market, which is $200 billion, will increase with time. Both the companies are planning to turn several prescription drugs into over the counter drugs to increase their joint revenues.