Advil
Advil is a brand of pain-relieving medication, currently owned by Haleon. The primary active ingredient in most Advil-branded products is ibuprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Advil has been called a "megabrand" because it offers various "products for a wide range of pain, head cold, and sleep problems."
History
The brand first entered the American market in 1984 through Whitehall, the same year ibuprofen gained Food and Drug Administration approval for over-the-counter sales in the United States. Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline combined their consumer healthcare departments into a dual venture in mid-2019; in 2022, this joint venture was spun-off into the newly conceived Haleon. In early 2025, Pfizer sold its entire stake in Haleon for over three billion dollars.Advil and a competing OTC ibuprofen brand, Nuprin, were first announced to the public on May 18, 1984, the same day that the FDA approved OTC sales of ibuprofen. Within a week of the announcement, Advil was available for purchase at some stores. Within ten years of having a market presence, it outsold Bayer Aspirin and was a fierce competitor to Tylenol. In the mid-1990s, for example, it held 13% of the multibillion-dollar over-the-counter American market for analgesics.
Varieties
In 2024, there were 23 varieties of Advil available on the U.S. market including:- Advil
- Advil Liqui-Gels
- Advil Migraine Liqui-Gels
- Infant's Advil
- Pediatric Advil
- Junior Strength Advil
- Children's Advil
- Flavored Children's Advil
- Advil Dual Action With Acetaminophen
- Advil PM
- Advil Cold And Sinus
- Advil Congestion Relief
- Advil Allergy Sinus
- Advil Allergy And Congestion Relief
- Advil Multi-Symptom Cold & Flu
- Children's Advil Cold
- Children's Advil Allergy Sinus