Rolaids is an American brand of calcium and magnesium-based

antacid An antacid is a substance which neutralizes stomach acidity and is used to relieve heartburn, indigestion or an upset stomach. Some antacids have been used in the treatment of constipation and diarrhea. Marketed antacids contain salts of alu ...

produced by

Chattem Chattem, Inc. is an American, Chattanooga, Tennessee-based, producer and marketer of over-the-counter healthcare products, toiletries, dietary supplements, topical analgesics, and medicated skin care products. Originally named the Chattanooga Me ...

. It was invented by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...

Irvine W. Grote Irvine Walter Grote (July 25, 1899 – August 6, 1972) was an American chemist and scholar. He was born in the Cameron Hill section of Chattanooga, Tennessee on July 25, 1899. He entered the University of Chattanooga, later University of Tennes ...

in the late 1920s, and originated with manufacturing in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...

, under one of Chattem's forerunner companies, which manufactured the brand for Warner-Lambert; Warner-Lambert merged with Pfizer in 2000. In 2006,

McNeil Consumer Healthcare McNeil Consumer Healthcare is an American medicals products company belonging to the Johnson & Johnson healthcare products group. It primarily sells fast-moving consumer goods such as over-the-counter drugs. History The company was founded on ...

, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, acquired the brand from

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered on 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1849 in New York by two German entrepreneurs, Charles Pfizer ...

Consumer Healthcare. In 2013, McNeil sold the brand to Sanofi, following a two-year period where the brand was pulled off the market due to

product recall A product recall is a request from a manufacturer to return a product after the discovery of safety issues or product defects that might endanger the consumer or put the maker/seller at risk of legal action. The recall is an effort to limit rui ...

s resulting from quality control and manufacturing issues that also left former fellow antacid brand Pepcid AC's "chewables" product and other fellow McNeil products like some varieties of

Tylenol Tylenol may refer to: * Paracetamol Paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, is a medication used to treat fever and mild to moderate pain. Common brand names include Tylenol and Panadol. At a standard dose, paracetamol only slightly decr ...

off store shelves for the same period. Rolaids returned to the market at the beginning of September 2013 under Chattem ownership with new packaging,

trade dress Trade dress is the characteristics of the visual appearance of a product or its packaging (or even the design of a building) that signify the source of the product to consumers. Trade dress is an aspect of trademark law, which is a form of intelle ...

, and a new liquid variety. Rolaids tablets come in many different flavors, including original peppermint, cherry, freshmint, fruit, tropical, punch, cool mint, berry, and apple.

2010 recall

McNeil Consumer Healthcare voluntarily recalled Rolaids products in the Americas, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Fiji on January 15, 2010, in consultation with the FDA. The company initiated the recall following an investigation of consumer reports of an unusual moldy, musty, or mildewlike odor that, in a small number of cases, was associated with temporary and nonserious gastrointestinal events. These events included nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. At that time, the Rolaids website carried the following statement regarding product availability: "You may have noticed that ROLAIDS® products are not available at your local retailers. We are changing some of our manufacturing facilities where our products are made, a process that will take time to complete. We apologize for the inconvenience this may be causing you. Your health and comfort are important to us, and we assure you we are working hard to get ROLAIDS® product back on store shelves." Another recall was issued around December 9, 2010, as a result of foreign objects that contained metal and wood particles. The foreign materials were caused by a third-party manufacturer during the production process. Several people complained when they took the product; they also had vomiting, strange taste, and tooth and gum injury. After this recall, beyond the small "candy aisle" rolls and chewable lines, the Rolaids line of products was drastically reduced and disappeared from most American retailers until Chattem returned the product to the market in the fall of 2013.

Advertising

Rolaids' best-known commercial from the 1970s featured the famous tag line: :''"How do you spell relief?"'' :''"R-O-L-A-I-D-S"'' In connection with the famous slogan, Rolaids sponsored the

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

award for top

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

s called the

Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award The Rolaids Relief Man Award was an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given from 1976 to 2012 to the top relief pitchers of the regular season, one in the American League (AL) and one in the National League (NL). Relief pitchers enter th ...

. The award was given yearly from 1976 through 2012.

Rolaids softchews

released a new version of Rolaids on April 6, 2006, branded ''Extra Strength Rolaids Plus Gas Relief Softchews''. The product was produced as an alternative for people averse to the chalky consistency of regular Rolaids. They were widely advertised in multiple media formats. Rolaids Softchews were originally developed and test marketed in Oklahoma City under the brand name Remegel by Warner Lambert in 1984.

Medical information

The

active ingredient An active ingredient is any ingredient that provides biologically active or other direct effect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease or to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or animals. The ...

s are calcium carbonate (550 mg) and

magnesium hydroxide Magnesium hydroxide is the inorganic compound with the chemical formula Mg(OH)2. It occurs in nature as the mineral brucite. It is a white solid with low solubility in water (). Magnesium hydroxide is a common component of antacids, such as milk ...

(110 mg). The inactive ingredients are dextrose,

flavoring A flavoring (or flavouring), also known as flavor (or flavour) or flavorant, is a food additive used to improve the taste or smell of food. It changes the perceptual impression of food as determined primarily by the chemoreceptors of the gus ...

magnesium stearate Magnesium stearate is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a soap, consisting of salt containing two equivalents of stearate (the anion of stearic acid) and one magnesium cation (Mg2+). Magnesium stearate is a white, water-insoluble pow ...

polyethylene glycol Polyethylene glycol (PEG; ) is a polyether compound derived from petroleum with many applications, from industrial manufacturing to medicine. PEG is also known as polyethylene oxide (PEO) or polyoxyethylene (POE), depending on its molecular we ...

, pregelatinized starch, sucralose and sucrose. The new Chattem varieties have increased the amount of the active ingredients in the product, up to 1000 mg of calcium carbonate and 200 mg of magnesium hydroxide for the "ultra strength" varieties. Minor side effects may include constipation or stomach cramps. Serious side effects include loss of appetite, vomiting, dizziness, and headache.

References

External links

*{{Official website, www.rolaids.com Antacids Drugs acting on the gastrointestinal system and metabolism Products introduced in 1954 Chattem