WARREN, N.J. — GSK Consumer Healthcare announced the launch of new Advil Dual Action, an exclusive formula that combines two of the most powerful pain fighting ingredients: ibuprofen and acetaminophen. In February, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Advil Dual Action as the first and only over-the-counter medication that combines ibuprofen and acetaminophen. The widely used, effective ingredients help to manage pain in two ways: ibuprofen works through the body, targeting pain at the source, while acetaminophen blocks pain signals to the brain. The innovation takes these two powerful pain fighting ingredients and combines them into one tablet to offer fast, strong pain relief.

Physical pain is unique to each person who experiences it and it comes in many forms, yet, the ways we treat and even talk about pain can be outdated and insufficient. Advil surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults ages 25 to 65, in partnership with Wakefield Research, to understand our relationship with pain: how we experience it, how frequently, how we treat it and even how we describe it to others. The results were clear: although 95% of people in America experience everyday aches and pains, there is no singular, universal experience surrounding pain.

“With the majority of people who experience body aches and pains unable to find full relief from just one medication, Advil recognized that there is so much more potential within the pain relief category, and it starts with gaining a comprehensive understanding of how people experience pain,” said Albert Shiue, brand manager at GSK. “Driven by GSK’s commitment to provide safe and effective pain relief options and our continued efforts to innovate within the pain category, we are excited to launch Advil Dual Action, the most innovative OTC oral pain relief product to hit the market in over 25 years, and provide people with the tools they need to understand and talk about their pain.”

To explore findings, Advil is launching the new “Next Generation Pain Report” which offers a deep dive into unique, emerging trends that point to opportunities for us to understand, address and treat everyday pain. The report reveals:

• O-T-C Medications aren’t getting the job done: 95% of people experience everyday aches and pains, but 80% do not always find complete relief with existing OTC pain treatment options.
• No Pain is the Same: Nearly three-quarters (72%) of U.S. adults experience what they would consider “multidimensional pain,” getting different types of body pain at different times. In addition to the physical sensation of pain, psychological, social and cultural factors all contribute to an individual’s pain experience.
• Age Is Just a Number: Younger people report experiencing just as much pain as older generations. One-third (34%) of Millennials report experiencing pain every day, nearly equal to that of Gen Xers (36%) and Boomers (35%).
• Over-The-Counter Pain Medications are Misunderstood: When presented with both true and false statements about the effects of ibuprofen and acetaminophen, the active ingredients in the most commonly-used, top recommended pain fighters, 81% answered at least one question incorrectly about the effects of these medications.
• A Loss for Words: 62% of U.S. adults feel they aren’t able to effectively communicate the everyday pain they experience – to their friends, partners and even their doctors.

To help consumers better identify and address their own everyday aches and pains, Advil is introducing a more modern way to talk about it. No longer will a rigid sad-to-happy-face scale guide how we describe our pain. Instead, a modernized scale will expand our pain lexicon with the common symbols we already use every day: emojis.

Most adults favor putting a digital-era spin on the traditional graphic scale that was initially developed for use with children. More than half (53%) say an emoji chart with multiple types of pain depicted better represents the pain they feel from a body pain than a sad-to-happy face scale. With Advil’s new pain scale, consumers will be better able to express their pain, and with Advil Dual Action, people everywhere have a new option for fast, powerful pain relief.

Advil Dual Action is now available online and on retail shelves nationwide.