If You Often Reach for Tylenol, Aleve: There's a New Option

Shoppers are about to see a new kind of pain pill on drugstore shelves: one that pairs two familiar ingredients in a single tablet for the first time. The FDA on Friday cleared an over-the-counter pill that combines 650 milligrams of acetaminophen (Tylenol) with 220 milligrams of naproxen sodium (sold as Aleve and other brands), a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. USA Today calls them "two pain drugs used by millions."

Approved for adults and kids 12 and up, the "dual-mechanism" non-opioid pill is meant for temporary relief of ailments ranging from headaches and back pain to menstrual cramps and minor arthritis pain, and is billed as kicking in within 30 minutes and offering up to 12 hours of relief. Kenvue, which owns Tylenol, says eight clinical studies found the combo outperformed the individual drugs. Drug Topics reports Kenvue was granted a three-year period of exclusivity. See an image of its Tylenol with Naproxen here.