Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — Researchers at Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute have received a $2 million grant to study whether some children are at higher risk for toxic effects from a common over-the-counter pain medicine.

The grant from the National Institutes of Health will look at the toxicity of acetaminophen, a pain reliever used in more than 100 over-the-counter medicines.

“While we believe it’s safe at recommended doses, we also know that acetaminophen toxicity is one of the major causes of acute liver failure,” said Dr. Laura James, chief of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at ACH. “This research could bring us one step closer to being able to predict which children are likely to have increased susceptibility to liver injury from acetaminophen.”

The five-year study will track patients who have been prescribed various doses of acetaminophen by physicians as part of standard inpatient treatment at six hospitals across the country.