The Health Digest poll results include responses from 583 participants. Of those, 36.19% said their preferred choice of pain medication was Tylenol, while 29.33% choose Advil. Around an eighth of those polled (19.21%) said Aleve is their go-to for pain, followed by 12.35% who choose Motrin. The remainder of those polled, accounting for 2.92%, reach for Alka-Seltzer to relieve pain.
While over-the-counter pain relievers are relatively safe to use when you follow the manufacturer’s directions, the Cleveland Clinic reports that some can have negative side effects, including peptic ulcers and problems with your kidneys and liver. Because many types of medications — including those that treat allergies and colds — can contain pain relievers, it’s important to read labels to avoid taking too much. You should visit your healthcare provider if you experience vision problems, shortness of breath, slurred speech, blood in your urine, or a severe stomach ache while taking pain medication.
(Bloomberg) — Unilever Plc Chief Executive Officer Alan Jope faces growing pressure to deliver a new strategy after investor dissent forced the Dove soap owner to walk away from a bid for GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s consumer products division.
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Unilever on Wednesday abandoned its 50 billion-pound ($68 billion) pursuit of a business that includes brands like Sensodyne toothpaste and Advil painkiller, after the U.K. drugmaker rejected its approaches and Unilever’s share price plunged.
The very public defeat, which came after analysts implored Unilever not to proceed and a big shareholder said management had “lost the plot,” was a flashback to Kraft Heinz Co.’s failed bid to acquire the company in 2017 for $143 billion. That debacle prompted radical changes at Unilever, including consolidating its headquarters in the U.K., ditching a cumbersome Anglo-Dutch structure, and adopting a more aggressive acquisition strategy that’s failed in its first big test.
A deal for the Glaxo brands would’ve been Unilever’s largest ever takeover and was intended to anchor the company’s pivot to focus on consumer health-care. Jope set out that ambition internally after the shift to London in 2020, which was meant to facilitate major acquisitions and disposals.
Unilever shares extended their relief rally on Thursday, rising 1.9% in early London trading. Glaxo’s stock dropped 1.4%.
Earlier this week, Unilever said the Glaxo division was a “strong strategic fit,” but that it would explore other takeover opportunities in consumer health. The company also said it would maintain financial discipline and wouldn’t overpay.
Health, Beauty
In that statement, Jope also announced a revamp of Unilever that would refocus around its health, beauty and hygiene operations, predicated on major acquisitions, and suggesting divestitures may involve its food operations.
In recent years, that arm of the company has been wounded by inflationary pressures in emerging markets that have slowed Unilever’s overall growth compared with archrival Nestle SA, which gets a boost from its successful pet food business.
Still, Unilever’s share price fell sharply as investors questioned the rationale for the Glaxo deal. Analysts wrote notes titled “Please Don’t” and described it as a “very bad deal.” Ratings agencies also warned about a possible downgrade of Unilever’s credit rating if it went ahead with a takeover.
Jope was already facing criticism from some shareholders for a focus on sustainability as the company’s stock price languished.
‘Damage Limitation’
It’s “good news” that the deal won’t happen, Bernstein analyst Bruno Monteyne said, though he described the latest move as an effort at “damage limitation.”
Unilever is “trying to control the narrative,” he said in an email. “By ruling out a higher bid, it looks like they end the offer here. That is obviously not the case. Investors stopped the bid through the share price and the feedback they gave.”
Unilever’s move to abandon the pursuit also raises questions over the strategy of Glaxo CEO Emma Walmsley, who has said she favors plans to spin off the consumer division. The drugmaker has said it would consider any offers, after Elliott Investment Management LP pushed her to boost shareholder returns, and new bidders could emerge.
In response to Unilever’s earlier interest, Glaxo had said it expects the consumer unit to see sales grow 4% to 6% in the medium term, faster than the market rate. The estimate raises the bar for any other prospective buyers, amid expectations that a successful overture could require a top-up of $10 billion or so. Glaxo will set out the rationale for such growth at an investor meeting at the end of February.
Other Bidders?
“We are strongly focused on maximizing shareholder value and are very confident in the future of the business and its potential,” a Glaxo spokesperson said. “The consumer health-care business has an exceptional portfolio and offers existing and prospective shareholders a highly attractive financial profile supporting investment and future returns.”
Unilever’s pursuit of the unit had sparked speculation about other suitors emerging, including Procter & Gamble Co. or Nestle SA.
When analysts pressed P&G about its acquisition strategy on Wednesday, Chief Executive Officer Jon Moeller said he likes the current portfolio and will be “very disciplined” on any deals. Skin care and personal healthcare are the two categories that P&G considers particular focus areas for potential deals, he said on a call, but “we don’t need large M&A to deliver” on financial targets.
(Updates with Unilever and Glaxo shares in fifth paragraph)
Avoid pain relief medications just before getting the COVID-19 vaccine, but they are “perfectly fine” to take after, experts say.
Headache, fever, body aches and chills: While these are completely normal side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine – and a good sign your immune system is working – they can be unpleasant.
To minimize the discomfort, some Americans may turn to pain relievers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Others worry those medications could blunt the effectiveness of the vaccine.
Studies on the subject are sparse and inconsistent, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization recommend against the preventive use of pain relievers, though they allow them if symptoms develop after.
In a study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Virology, researchers found nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen can reduce the production of antibodies and affect other aspects of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Researchers said the study’s results raised the possibility that pain relievers such as ibuprofen could alter the immune response to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Colleen Kelley, an associate professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, who was not affiliated with the study, speculates that an altered response could be caused by reducing inflammation triggered by the immune system.
“The immune system generates a response through controlled inflammation. (Pain relievers) can reduce the production of inflammatory mediators,” she said. “So, this is the potential mechanism for a reduced immune response to vaccination if you take these medications.”
But Dr. Marian Michaels, a member of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s COVID-19 vaccine advisory committee, says studies have shown the immune system responds differently to the COVID-19 vaccine than it does to natural infection.
“We believe that the (immune) response to the vaccine is actually a better response than the wild-type virus with COVID-19,” said Michaels, who is also a pediatric infectious disease physician at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. “For that very reason, even for someone who has had the infection in the past … we recommend that people still receive the vaccine.”
‘This is fantastic’: Mass vaccination clinics to play key role in ending COVID-19 pandemic
One 2016 study from Duke University looked at the effectiveness of various vaccines among children and found those who took pain relievers before getting their regularly scheduled shots had fewer antibodies than those who didn’t.
But the few studies that exist on pain relievers and vaccines are not robust enough to draw conclusions, experts say, as the children in the 2016 study who took pain relievers and showed fewer antibodies still had a sufficient immune response to provide protection.
There’s no data that shows a reduced immune response if the medications are taken after getting the vaccine to treat side effects, Kelley added.
‘Actively looking at it’: Will travelers need a negative COVID-19 test to board flights within the US? The CDC says it’s under consideration
“It’s perfectly fine to take NSAIDs or Tylenol if you are feeling unwell after vaccination,” Kelley said. “The symptoms you are experiencing indicate that your immune system is functioning normally and that the immune response is ongoing.”
Michaels notes that study participants were not prohibited to take pain relievers in either the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 trials and efficacy rates were still over 95%.
“While I don’t have the exact numbers of people in the research study … I’m sure a number of them took acetaminophen or ibuprofen because 70% had mild (side effects to the vaccine),” she said. “And yet, there was still an immunologic response.”
Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.
Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID vaccine: OK to take Tylenol, Advil for side effects after shot
Experts are weighing in on when to take pain relievers for headaches or body aches and chills.
USA TODAY
Avoid pain relief medications just before getting the COVID-19 vaccine, but they are ‘perfectly fine’ to take after, experts say.
Headache, fever, body aches and chills.
While these are completely normal side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine – and a good sign your immune system is working – they can be unpleasant.
To minimize the discomfort, some Americans may turn to pain relievers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Others worry these medications could blunt the effectiveness of the vaccine.
Studies on the subject are sparse and inconsistent, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization both recommend against the preventive use of pain relievers,though allow them if symptoms develop after.
In a study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Virology, researchers found nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen can reduce the production of antibodies and impact other aspects of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Researchers said the study’s results raised the possibility that pain relievers such as ibuprofen could alter the immune response to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Colleen Kelley, an associate professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine who was not affiliated with the study, speculates this could be caused by reducing inflammation triggered by the immune system.
“The immune system generates a response through controlled inflammation. (Pain relievers) can reduce the production of inflammatory mediators,” she said. “So, this is the potential mechanism for a reduced immune response to vaccination if you take these medications.”
But Dr. Marian Michaels, a member of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s COVID-19 vaccine advisory committee, says studies have shown the immune system responds differently to the COVID-19 vaccine than it does to natural infection.
CLOSE
Your COVID-19 vaccine questions, answered: What are the COVID vaccine side effects? If you get the vaccine, are you contagious? From “States of America.”
USA TODAY
“We believe that the (immune) response to the vaccine is actually a better response than the wild-type virus with COVID-19,” said Michaels, who is also a pediatric infectious disease physician at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. “For that very reason, even for someone who has had the infection in the past … we recommend that people still receive the vaccine.”
‘This is fantastic’: Mass vaccination clinics to play key role in ending COVID-19 pandemic
One 2016 study from Duke University looked at the effectiveness of various vaccines among children and found those who took pain relievers before getting their regularly scheduled shots had fewer antibodies than those who didn’t.
However, the few studies that exist on pain relievers and vaccines are not robust enough to draw conclusions, experts say, as the children in the 2016 study who took pain relievers and showed fewer antibodies still had a sufficient immune response to provide protection.
There’s no data that shows a reduced immune response if the medications are taken after getting the vaccine to treat side effects, Kelley added.
‘Actively looking at it’: Will travelers need a negative COVID-19 test to board flights within the US? The CDC says it’s under consideration
“It’s perfectly fine to take NSAIDs or Tylenol if you are feeling unwell after vaccination,” Kelley said. “The symptoms you are experiencing indicate that your immune system is functioning normally and that the immune response is ongoing.”
Michaels notes that study participants were not prohibited to take pain relievers in either the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 trials and efficacy rates were still over 95%.
“While I don’t have the exact numbers of people in the research study … I’m sure a number of them took acetaminophen or ibuprofen because 70% had mild (side effects to the vaccine),” she said. “And yet, there was still an immunologic response.”
Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.
Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.
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