Janssen keeps the Tylenol name for its imported product

Approved as ‘Janssen Acetaminophen’ but will stick to the ‘Tylenol’ name

Janssen withdraws existing product license… changes the name of its imported item to the original brand name

Pharmacies "wished for INN (International Nonproprietary Name) listing, but...”

As expected, Janssen is keeping its brand name, ‘Tylenol,' for its antipyretic analgesic.

 

The company had dropped the license of its domestically manufactured Tylenol Tab.

 

500mg in line with the shutdown of its Hyangnam plant and changed the name of its imported item that was approved in August to ‘Tylenol Tab.

 

500mg.’ The expectations held by frontline pharmacies that the company may give up the use of its brand name and use the ingredient name, INN (International Nonproprietary Name), had been let down.

 

According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the 14th, the product name of ‘Janssen Acetaminophen Tab.’ was changed to ‘Tylenol Tab.

 

500mg’ on the 13th.

 

The product was approved for import on August 23rd.

 

Janssen had obtained the approval for the imported item that can substitute its manufactured item in advance before the shutdown of its Hyangnam manufacturing plant that was planned for the end of this year.

 

At the time of approval, the company had obtained approval for the drug as ‘Janssen Acetaminophen,' according to its INN mark.

 

However, industry prospects were that this was just a temporary measure made because another approved product had existed under the ‘Tylenol Tab.

 

500mg’ name, As expected, the company had dropped the license for its manufactured ‘Tylenol Tab.

 

500mg’ since then and changed the name of its Janssen Acetaminophen to the existing brand name.

 

Frontline pharmacies had once hoped that the drug would be released as Janssen Acetaminophen.

 

When the COVID-19 vaccinations began in Korea, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency had referred to the ‘Tylenol’ name as the medicine to use to alleviate the side effects of vaccinations, leading to the heavy purchase of only Tylenol among the various acetaminophen drugs.

 

As a result, frontline pharmacies had faced difficulties because they could not keep up with the demand and had experienced Tylenol shortages.

 

At the time, pharmacists had criticized KDCA for mentioning a specific brand rather than a generic name.

 

The pharmacies had expected that the release of Janssen Acetaminophen, not Tylenol, would resolve the Tylenol-concentrated market demand.

 

However, as companies follow profits, it would have been difficult for the company to give up its brand name as the booster COVID-19 vaccinations starting in earnest is expected to further increase Tylenol sales.

 

According to IQVIA, Tylenol recorded ₩50.1 billion in cumulative sales by Q3 this year and recorded No.1 in the OTC market.