Johnson & Johnson on Friday said it was expanding its recall of lots of its pain reliever Tylenol to include such other popular over-the-counter brands such as Benadryl, Motrin, and Rolaids.
J&J said it was recalling specifics lots of the products because of reports that they smell musty. Some users of the suspect products have also reported developing nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. No serious medical reactions have been reported.
The products are marketed by J&J's McNeil Consumer Healthcare division. Many of the recalled lots were manufactured at a plant in Puerto Rico.
The latest recall covers certain lots and formulations of the following medications: Junior Strength Motrin IB, Children's Tylenol Meltaways, Benadryl, Extra Strength Tylenol, Extra Strength Tylenol Rapid Release, Motrin IB, Regular Strength Tylenol, Rolaids, Simply Sleep, St. Joseph Aspirin, Tylenol Arthritis, and Tylenol PM.
In November and again in December, J&J recalled lots of its widely-used pain reliever Tylenol over similar complaints. At the time of the December recall, the Food and Drug Administration said that it believed the breakdown of a certain chemical applied to the wooden pallets used to ship the product was the culprit.
J&J said Friday it expanded the recall to cover lots that may have been affected, even if no consumer complaints have been received on them. It added that it has ceased using wooden pallets treated with the chemical 2,4,6-tribromoanisole, also known as TBA, which is believed to be the cause of the problem.
FDA officials said on Friday that although J&J was aware of consumer complaints as early as September 2008, it didn't properly investigate the problem nor report it to the agency until September 2009, according to Dow Jones Newswires.
SOURCE LINK: Market Watch
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