Candy Professor

Candy Aspirin, 1952

March 12, 2010 at 8:33 am Leave a comment

Bayer introduced the world’s first flavored, chewable children’s aspirin tablet in 1952. This was a major breakthrough in children’s medicine technology.  One word said it all:  “It tastes like your children’s favorite candy!”

This new formulation was candy tasting all the way through, unlike earlier “candy” aspirin tablets marketed for children that were bitter medicine surrounded by a sugar coating. So the Bayer tablet could be chewed or dissolve in your mouth, or mixed into a drink or even into food.

It seemed the answer to a mother’s prayer: “Here’s good news, mother! No more worrisome coaxing, fretting or fussing when your children need aspirin. For the best asprin money can buy now tastes so delicious, they take it with a smile.”

Of course, if asprin tastes like candy, there is a pretty big problem: kids eating asprin like it is candy. Within three years of the introduction of chewable aspirin, the U.S. FDA had convened a panel of experts to make recommendations to improve the safety of aspirin and reduce childhood deaths due to aspirin poisoning. The panel recommended that aspirin makers develop a “safety closure or container” to prevent children from gobbling down the pills. And so was sown the seed for the child-proof cap.

Related Posts:

Sources: Bayer ad, Reading Eagle, June 15, 1952; John Troan, “Accidental Aspirin Deaths Set Up Search for Cure All,” Pittsburgh Press, July 17 1955.

Entry filed under: Children and Candy, Medicine, WWII to 1960s.