The painkiller phenacetin was the world's first synthetic pharmaceutical drug. It was developed by an American chemist and began distribution in 1887. Phenacetin was often accompanied by aspirin and caffeine in what were called APC pills, which were widely distributed during and after World War II. The use of phenacetin in the U.S. was discontinued in the 1980s because of links to cancer and other adverse side effects, but it remains available in some countries.
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