Acetaminophen – known by its tradename Paracetamol – though effective as a painkiller, can cause permanent and possible fatal liver damage at remarkably small amounts above the recommended dosage. (Unintentional over-dosing is easy, as the substance is also included in other cold medicines.) As a result, the US Food and Drug Administration panel wants to reduce the recommended dosage.
Fortunately, a safer alternative has been found, known as SCP-1 (comprising a molecule of paracetamol joined to a saccharin molecule), which in tests carried out by researchers at the University of New Orleans, Louisiana, in collaboration with St Charles Pharmaceuticals, appears not to produce the same toxic by-products. St. Charles have now announced that they have developed a method of synthesising SCP-1 cheaply and in large quantities.
(Source: New Scientist) | For further info...