J&J Recalls 57,000 Bottles of Epilepsy Drug

Johnson & Johnson said on Thursday it is recalling about 57,000 bottles of its Topamax epilepsy drug after reports of a foul odor, the latest in a string of recalls by the company.

The recall stems from four consumer reports of an odor thought to be caused by trace amounts of TBA (2,4,6 tribromoanisole), a byproduct of a chemical preservative applied to wood pallets that transport products, J&J said. A similar issue has prompted previous recalls by J&J and other companies, a J&J spokesman said.

TBA is not considered toxic, and no serious health problems were reported in relation to the Topamax recall, the company said.

J&J's Ortho-McNeil Neurologics said the product was distributed in the United States and Puerto Rico, and it believes fewer than 6,000 bottles remain in the market. The product was made at J&J's Gurabo, Puerto Rico, facility, the company said.

J&J has recalled more than 300 million bottles and packages of adult and children's consumer medicines in the past 15 months. Although no injuries have been linked to the recalls, they have sullied J&J's reputation, pressured its share price and sparked Congressional investigations.