Epilepsy Talk

Common painkillers may fuel deadly superbugs that resist antibiotics

A startling new study warns that two of America’s most common over-the-counter painkillers, ibuprofen (Advil) and acetaminophen (Tylenol), may have an unexpected role in one of the world’s most urgent public health crises.

In the United States, more than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur each year, and more than 35,000 people die as a result, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).