Tylenol Recall Due to Dangerous Dosage and Packaging Issues

Tylenol is one of the most stable and long lasting drugs on the American market. The name itself has become synonymous with aspirin, the same way one use the brand names of Velcro or Ziplock Bags. Unfortunately for the parent company Johnson & Johnson there have been a string of negative incidences that have resulted in voluntary recalls.   As reported by newsobserver.com:  

“The troubles began in 2008, when Johnson & Johnson was slow to identify the problem behind the moldy odor, prompting criticism from the FDA.   It turned out to be airborne contamination from a chemical called 2,4,6-Tribromoanisole, or TBA, a pesticide and wood preservative used to treat wooden pallets. The pallets, at the company’s manufacturing plant in Puerto Rico, held Tylenol packaging materials for storage and transport.   Tylenol containing trace amounts of the pesticide prompted consumer complaints of intestinal problems such as nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea.   Under the stern eye of the FDA, the firm launched what would be the first of a series of rolling recalls. The primary concern was Tylenol tainted by TBA, but there were also cases of over-the-counter medicines containing minute pieces of wood and metal, a batch of raw materials contaminated by the infectious bacteria burkholderia cepacia, Tylenol formulas for children that were too potent and Motrin tablets that were basically impotent.”  

The good news is that there does not seem to be any significant amount of injury or fatalities in conjunction with the medication. Furthermore, Johnson & Johnson is taking voluntary action to get product off of the shelves before matters get to a breaking point. Certainly this is damaging to their short term profits, but may just save the long term reputation of the drug and company at large.   As more recalls roll out other Johnson & Johnson medications are being included, such as Rolaids, Motrin, Benadryl, Imodium, Sudafed PE, Aveeno, Zyrtec, St. Joseph’s Children’s Aspirin and Simply Sleep brands.   The exact details on the cause of each recall and the impetus for pulling items is still being help tightly under wraps. More information is bound to come out as the public continues to notice the lack of Johnson & Johnson products on store shelves.