# Tums
**Tums** is an American brand of over-the-counter antacid chewable tablets whose active ingredient is calcium carbonate, used to relieve heartburn, acid indigestion, and upset stomach by neutralizing stomach acid.[1](https://www.tums.com/about) • [2](https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a601032.html) Created in 1928 by pharmacist James Howe to treat his wife's indigestion, the brand was introduced to the public in 1930 and is now owned by the consumer health company [Haleon](https://www.edgepedia.org/haleon).[1](https://www.tums.com/about) • [3](https://www.haleon.com/who-we-are/history)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Active ingredient | Calcium carbonate, mined from limestone, which neutralizes stomach acid on contact[1](https://www.tums.com/about) |
| Origin | Created in 1928 by pharmacist James Howe; introduced to the public in 1930[1](https://www.tums.com/about) |
| Owner | Haleon; Beecham acquired the TUMS brand from Revlon's Northcliff Thayer division in 1986[3](https://www.haleon.com/who-we-are/history) |
| Scale | The St. Louis plant produces over six billion tablets a year; more than 60 million bottles or rolls are sold annually[1](https://www.tums.com/about) |
| Calcium content | Calcium carbonate is 40% calcium by weight; each chewable pill or soft chew provides about 270 to 400 mg of calcium[4](https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/calcium-HealthProfessional/) |
| Strengths | Sold in 500 mg, Extra Strength 750 mg, and Ultra Strength 1000 mg calcium carbonate formulations[1](https://www.tums.com/about) • [5](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid=348d3dfa-6a52-4583-96e3-83c4bf2df45b&version=4) |
| Duration of use | MedlinePlus advises not taking calcium carbonate as an antacid for more than 2 weeks unless a doctor directs otherwise[2](https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a601032.html) |
## How it works
Antacids counteract stomach acid to relieve indigestion and heartburn, symptoms that occur when stomach contents flow back into the esophagus.[6](https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/antacids/) • [7](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/over-counter-otc-heartburn-treatment) Tums tablets dissolve quickly and neutralize acid on contact, so relief begins within seconds, in contrast to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine-2 (H2) blockers, which are absorbed into the bloodstream and can take hours or days to work fully.[1](https://www.tums.com/about)
The FDA lists Tums among common over-the-counter antacids, one of three classes of OTC heartburn medication alongside H2 blockers and PPIs.[7](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/over-counter-otc-heartburn-treatment)
## Clinical evidence for antacids
A 2007 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled trials from 1972 to 2005 examined OTC therapies for gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). Four antacid trials (578 treated, 577 placebo) showed a trend favoring antacids in symptomatic improvement, with an absolute benefit increase of 8% (95% CI: 0–16%) and a relative benefit increase of 11%, and an odds ratio of 0.70 (95% CI: 0.59–0.84) for needing rescue antacids. By comparison, histamine-2 receptor antagonists showed a relative benefit increase of up to 41%, and alginate/antacid combinations up to 60%, against a placebo response ranging from 37% to 64%.[8](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17229239/)
Later work on alginate-containing products, a different class that forms a protective raft rather than mainly neutralizing acid, found alginates superior to placebo or antacids for GERD symptom resolution (OR 4.42, 95% CI 2.45–7.97), while noting that antacids alone provide immediate and temporary symptom relief and alginates themselves have minimal acid-neutralizing effect.[9](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6036656/) A 2020 meta-analysis of newer trials found no statistically significant difference between alginates and placebo/antacids for relief of heartburn, regurgitation, or dyspepsia, and no difference in adverse events or treatment withdrawal.[10](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33275256/)
## Use and precautions
[Calcium carbonate](https://www.edgepedia.org/calcium-carbonate) comes as chewable tablets that should be chewed thoroughly before swallowing, followed by a full glass of water.[2](https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a601032.html) Antacids are best taken with food or soon after eating, when symptoms are most likely, and they relieve symptoms for a few hours without treating the underlying cause; long-term use is not recommended.[6](https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/antacids/) Calcium can decrease the effectiveness of other medicines, so calcium carbonate should not be taken within 1 to 2 hours of other drugs.[2](https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a601032.html) Because of its acid-neutralizing ability, calcium carbonate is also used as a dietary calcium supplement, and a single Tums chewable contributes a meaningful share of the 1,000 to 1,200 mg daily calcium recommendation for adults.[4](https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/calcium-HealthProfessional/)
## History and ownership
The Lewis-Howe company began selling TUMS from a factory in St. Louis in 1930, and the main production facility remains in downtown St. Louis nearly a century later.[1](https://www.tums.com/about) • [3](https://www.haleon.com/who-we-are/history) The brand's advertising is well known: the first nationwide newspaper ad appeared in 1951, animated TV ads debuted in 1961, and the 1981 jingle "Tums, Tum-Tum-Tum, Tums!" sung over the *Dragnet* theme helped make TUMS America's best-selling antacid by 1986.[1](https://www.tums.com/about) In 1986 Beecham acquired the Northcliff Thayer division from Revlon and its TUMS brand; the brand later passed through GlaxoSmithKline lineage into Haleon, which listed as an independent company in July 2022.[3](https://www.haleon.com/who-we-are/history) Haleon's 2026 half-year results reported double-digit growth in Tums within its Digestive Health category.[11](https://data.fca.org.uk/artefacts/NSM/DirectUpload/NI-000149436/NI-000149436.pdf)
The product line has expanded to include Chewy Bites, Smoothies, Sugar Free, Naturals, and Ultra Strength 1000 mg variants, among others.[1](https://www.tums.com/about)
## Recalls
Haleon has issued voluntary recalls of specific Tums lots. In May 2026 the manufacturer recalled Tums Ultra Assorted Fruit Chewable Tablet 1000 mg, 160-count, due to potential contamination with small metal pieces, affecting listed lot codes with expiry 31 January 2029.[12](https://www.cvs.com/content/dam/enterprise/cvsretail/help-assets/recall_pdf/Haleon_TumsAssrtFruit_814467.pdf) In Canada, Haleon voluntarily recalled a single lot of TUMS Regular Strength Peppermint rolls (lot HA7H), stating no other TUMS products were impacted.[13](https://www.tums.ca/voluntarily-recall/)
## References
1. [About TUMS Antacids, Tums.com](https://www.tums.com/about)
2. [Calcium Carbonate: MedlinePlus Drug Information](https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a601032.html)
3. [History, Haleon](https://www.haleon.com/who-we-are/history)
4. [Calcium: Health Professional Fact Sheet, NIH Office of Dietary Supplements](https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/calcium-HealthProfessional/)
5. [DailyMed – TUMS ULTRA calcium carbonate tablet, chewable](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid=348d3dfa-6a52-4583-96e3-83c4bf2df45b&version=4)
6. [Antacids, NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/antacids/)
7. [Over-The-Counter (OTC) Heartburn Treatment, FDA](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/over-counter-otc-heartburn-treatment)
8. [Meta-analysis: the efficacy of over-the-counter gastro-oesophageal reflux disease therapies, PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17229239/)
9. [Alginate therapy is effective treatment for GERD symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis, PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6036656/)
10. [Efficacy and safety of alginate formulations in patients with GERD: a systematic review and meta-analysis, PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33275256/)
11. [Haleon half year results announcement, six months ended 30 June 2026](https://data.fca.org.uk/artefacts/NSM/DirectUpload/NI-000149436/NI-000149436.pdf)
12. [Haleon Tums Ultra Assorted Fruit recall notice, CVS](https://www.cvs.com/content/dam/enterprise/cvsretail/help-assets/recall_pdf/Haleon_TumsAssrtFruit_814467.pdf)
13. [Voluntary recall of TUMS Regular Strength Peppermint, Tums.ca](https://www.tums.ca/voluntarily-recall/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Human health and medicine › Medicines and therapeutics › Gastrointestinal and respiratory drugs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license