United Kingdom drug failure

Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is a widely used analgesic and antipyretic drug that is relatively safe when taken at prescribed therapeutic doses. However, it has become increasingly common for overdoses of paracetamol to be taken for suicidal intent. In the United Kingdom, for example, around 200 deaths a year result from overdoses of paracetamol. This has prompted some to call for changes in its availability, with newspaper headlines such as "Doctors demand curbs on killer paracetamol" (Sunday Times, London, 14th November, 1993). When taken in overdoses, paracetamol causes primarily centrilobular hepatic necrosis, but this may also be accompanied by renal damage and failure. 

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