Ask the Pharmacist: Acetaminophen to Be Limited to 325 Mg in Prescription Drugs

Question:

I recently noticed that my injured worker's Vicodin® has 300 milligrams (mg) of acetaminophen (APAP) in it. I thought Vicodin® and its generics contained 500 mg or more of APAP?

Answer:
On January 13, 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked that drug manufacturers limit the amount of acetaminophen in prescription drug products such as combination acetaminophen and opioid therapies. The limitation of acetaminophen content will be 325 mg per tablet, capsule or other dosing unit. The intent of the new limitation of acetaminophen is to decrease the risk of severe liver damage from acetaminophen overdosing. This has affected multiple hydrocodone/APAP products... Read more...

Please send your questions to AskThePharmacist@cvty.com

Kim DuBrueler, B.A., PharmD., RPh, is a Clinical Pharmacist within Coventry's pharmacy benefit management program, First Script. She joined Coventry in early 2011, bringing with her experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing, as well as retail pharmacy. She is involved in keeping up on industry wide research and trends in the pharmacy sector, authoring pharmacy bulletins and client newsletters, white papers, presentations and educational webinars. Kim has a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Colgate University, a doctorate in pharmacy from Temple University, and is currently a member of the ACOEM Opioids Panel tasked with developing updated opioid utilization guidelines.