[1] It contains aspirin, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug; paracetamol (acetaminophen), an analgesic; and caffeine, a stimulant.
[2] The combination of paracetamol with aspirin also creates the risk of renal papillary necrosis if large doses are taken chronically.
This is because paracetamol yields a toxic metabolite that can accumulate in the kidney while aspirin works to deplete the glutathione stores necessary to oxidize it.
[3] The combination of these three compounds can be detected in pharmaceutical formulations, urine and blood serum in trace quantities using electrochemical methods.
[5] In 1964 it was marketed under the trade name Vanquish by Sterling Drug,[citation needed] which after a series of mergers and acquisitions became a unit of Bayer AG.