GSK launches paracetamol brand in Phl

MANILA, Philippines - With seven of 10 Filipinos suffering from pain, particularly headache, pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has launched Panadol, touted as the only paracetamol that starts releasing pain-relieving power in just five minutes.

According to John Sayers, president of GSK Consumer Healthcare for the Asia-Pacific and Latin America, Panadol has been in 85 countries for over 50 years now “and we are pleased to bring this leading paracetamol brand to the Philippines’ consumers.”

“This is a significant milestone for GSK in line with our commitment to help people do more, feel better and live longer… The good thing about Panadol is it’s our best technology. We are bringing the best solution for pain,” he said during a launching ceremony last Friday.

Sayers noted that unlike other paracetamol brands in the Philippines, “the active ingredients of Panadol dissolve fast in the stomach and get into the bloodstream very quickly.”

“The brand is testament to our customers’ trust and faith in the product which boasts an extensive scientific research breakthrough such as Optizorb technology in our Panadol which is the first and only paracetamol that contains Optizorb,” he added.

GSK studies show that 75 percent of people who take Panadol with Optizorb caplets reach pain relieving levels of paracetamol in the bloodstream faster or in just around five minutes.

Last year, around 15 billion Panadol tablets were sold worldwide.

GSK Philippines’ Consumer Healthcare general manager Jeoffrey Yulo said Panadol was GSK’s response to the clamor of “pain sufferers” for a pain medicine that works fast and safe.

Yulo said seven out of 10 Filipinos “suffer from regular headaches, and over half from muscle aches and pains in the past three months.”

He gave assurance that Panadol is well tolerated and with not irritate the stomach when used as directed. The medicine can be taken even on empty stomach.

“(These are) huge statistics that we, at GSK, need to address. What we need in our country is pain medicine that is fast, and when you say fast you can see the five-minute cure and, at the same time, safe and efficacious,” he said.

According to Pain Society of the Philippines vice president Dr. Lyde Alday-Magpantay, she observed in her practice that the common causes of mild and moderate pains are back pain, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgic, and headache.

Magpantay, who specializes in physical and rehabilitation medicine, said pain should not be ignored because it could progress into a more serious condition.

“Filipinos usually ignore pain. We tolerate pain. I also have a lot of Caucasian patients and they really complain about pain. But we should know that it is important to manage pain so that acute pain does not develop into chronic pain,” she told The STAR after the Panadol launch.

She added that with chronic pain — or pain that lasts more than three months — it could already have a “cognitive or mental component.”

“There will be fear or anxiety. If we arrest pain in the beginning, it will not develop into chronic pain. But, of course, you also have to deal with the cause of pain,” she said.