According to a novel study issued in ‘Current Medical Research Opinion’, fast/rapid-acting Acetaminophen (RA-Acetaminophen) was proven to have a quicker onset of pain relief compared to extra-strength Acetaminophen and liquid-filled Ibuprofen capsules.

In response to the demand for quicker pain relief among over-the-counter analgesic (oral Acetaminophen) users, a new drug delivery technology was created to enhance the absorption rate of the analgesic for a swifter onset of pain relief. This clinical trial by Andrew Myers et al. compared the onset of pain relief of RA-Acetaminophen with other analgesics available over-the-counter i.e. Ibuprofen 400 mg (liquid filled capsules, LG-Ibuprofen) or Acetaminophen (ES-Acetaminophen) 1000 mg extra-strength. Overall, 664 people (mean age=18.9 years; 45.5% men; 57.5% had severe baseline pain intensity) with moderate-to-severe pain after the surgical removal of 3-4 impacted third molars. They were randomized in a 4:4:2:1 ratio to receive RA-Acetaminophen 1000 mg (249 people), ES-Acetaminophen (232 people) 1000 mg, LG-Ibuprofen (124 people) 400 mg, or placebo (59 people).

RA-Acetaminophen outshined other pain-relief options with a quicker median time to start pain relief (15.7 min) than ES-Acetaminophen (20.2 min, p = 0.035), LG-Ibuprofen (23.2 min, p < 0.001) and placebo. It also displayed statistically superior mean pain intensity difference (PID) and pain relief (PAR) scores (numerical rating scale) than other groups at 15 and 30 minutes. A statistically greater number of people with definite perceptible pain relief at 15 and 20 minutes was also noticed with the use of RA-Acetaminophen. RA-Acetaminophen showed a considerably higher percentage of people experiencing noticeable pain relief than those taking LG-Ibuprofen 400 mg and the placebo. There were no reports of clinically noteworthy adverse events.