By Ed Hightower , 30 June 2010
For the past several months, a recall crisis has been developing at the Johnson & Johnson company over serious quality control problems in over-the-counter medicines. Since last September, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received hundreds of complaints concerning Johnson & Johnson medicines, which have involved seven fatalities.
The recalls have centered on such well-known brands as Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl and Zyrtec, as well as children’s version of some of these products, which possibly contain metal particles and chemicals used to treat plywood.
The most recent product recalls began in December 2009 when McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a division of Johnson & Johnson, received consumer complaints of “an unusual moldy, musty or mildew-like odor that, in a small number of cases, was associated with temporary and non-serious gastrointestinal events. These include nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, or diarrhea,” in Tylenol brand arthritis medicines.
On January 15, 2010, McNeil issued a press release announcing the recall of several other medicines, including Motrin products, Benadryl Allergy Ultratabs, Rolaids antacid tablets and Simply Sleep products. The press release states that the unpleasant odor comes from trace amounts of a chemical called 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA), a derivative of a pesticide and fire-retardant used in the manufacture of packaging materials.
