A Tylenol liver damage lawsuit alleges that regular-strength Tylenol caused the death of an Ohio resident.

According to the Tylenol liver damage lawsuit, Christina Briggs died of acute liver failure in December 2010, shortly after taking Tylenol. This  Tylenol lawsuit has joined a larger legal action called a multidistrict litigation, or MDL, over allegations that the active ingredient in Tylenol is dangerous.

In recent years, the active ingredient in Tylenol, acetaminophen, has come under legal and regulatory scrutiny over concerns of Tylenol liver failure. Acetaminophen is one of the most widely used over-the-counter drugs. However, if a person takes more than the recommended dosage of acetaminophen, they can experience liver damage, and even liver failure. Since the same active ingredient is in many different over-the-counter pain medications, fever reducers, cold medicines and other drugs, it is difficult for consumers to know just how much acetaminophen they are taking.

The difference between an effective dose of acetaminophen and a dangerous dose varies from person to person. Acetaminophen itself is not particularly toxic, but in the process of breaking it down and getting rid of it, the liver may produce several toxic compounds called secondary metabolites. Under ideal conditions, these dangerous secondary metabolites are short-lived and produced in small amounts. However, this process varies with an individual’s metabolism, and for some people, it does not take much more than the recommended dose of acetaminophen to produce serious acetaminophen side effects, like liver damage and liver failure. Some individuals may even experience liver problems at the recommended dose.

In 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that acetaminophen-based pills should not contain more than 325mg of the active ingredient per dosage, though this recommendation does not apply to some formulations. The FDA also demanded a black-box warning for Tylenol and other acetaminophen-bearing products over the risk of liver damage.

Lawsuits have been filed by patients who survived alleged Tylenol liver damage and liver failure, as well as surviving family members and heirs of those who died from liver failure after using acetaminophen-based drugs. These Tylenol lawsuits allege that the makers of drugs like Tylenol have not done enough to protect the public from the risk of liver damage and other alleged acetaminophen side effects.

The Tylenol Liver Damage Lawsuit is Teresa Briggs, et al. v. McNeil-PPC Inc., et al., Case No. 5239, within the larger Tylenol liver damage MDL In Re: Tylenol (Acetaminophen) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2436, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.