It seems that every couple of months we get another Tylenol recall, and March 2011 is another one of those months.

McNeil, a division of Johnson & Johnson said in a statement that they were conducting a voluntary consumer recall of one product lot of eight-hour extended-release caplets because of a “musty or moldy odor.” Around 34,000 bottles are being recalled.

Just because one product line is never enough, there’s more to the Tylenol recall, with the company expanding a previous recall announced in January. The expanded recall, which involves 10 lots of other products, is being undertaken on the wholesale level and does not directly affect consumers.

Here’s what you need to know about the Tylenol Recall:

What’s been recalled:
TYLENOL® 8 HOUR EXTENDED RELEASE CAPLET 150 count

Lot number:
ADM074

UPC Code:
300450297181

What you should do:
Immediately stop taking it and either call 1-888-222-6036 or go to tylenol.com for refund instructions.

Another Month, Another Tylenol Recall is a post from: The Inquisitr

Nearly a year after a “musty” smell precipitated a large scale recall of several medications, drugmaker Johnson & Johnson is recalling a variety of Tylenol again for the same concern.

The FDA criticized the manufacturer back in January for being slow to recall the products after the issue first surfaced:

“When something smells bad, literally and figuratively, you aggressively investigate and solve the problem,” said Deborah Autor, director of FDA’s compliance office.

“The company should have acted faster,” Autor said. “All companies have a responsibility to ensure high quality, safety and effectiveness of their products and protect consumers.”

Further recalls were announced in May due to manufacturing defects discovered in medications for infants and children, and then in July because of the same unpleasant odor that sickened consumers in the first round of recalls. The company announced last night that they were recalling certain lots of Tylenol 8 Hour Caplets because of the musty odor, attributed to a chemical called 2,4,6-tribromoanisole and believed to be transferred to the pills from shipping pallets.

The latest Tylenol recall affects nearly 130,000 units of the medication, but consumer risk from the affected product is said to be fairly low.

Yet another Tylenol recall underway is a post from: The Inquisitr

This not a repeat from November, December, January, April or May- Johnson & Johnson is recalling even more of their over the counter medications.

Johnson & Johnson is recalling an additional 21 lots of Tylenol, Benadryl and Motrin due to the same “moldy, musty odor” that prompted the original recall. Affected by the July 2010 recall are some versions of Children’s Tylenol, as well as adult products Benadryl, Motrin IB, Tylenol Extra Strength, Tylenol Day & Night and Tylenol PM. McNeil says that the risk of adverse effects is low, but there were some reports of gastrointestinal illness such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

The recall began back in November with specific lots of a Tylenol arthritis painkiller that was stored on pallets emitting the chemical that caused the off smell in the medications. The recall has expanded several times since the first medications were pulled from shelves, and the FDA has heavily criticized the drug manufacturer for being slow to act when the first reports of illness associated with the affected product occurred.

Expanded information from the manufacturer is available here.

Even more Tylenol is recalled… is a post from: The Inquisitr

For the second time in the past few months, the FDA has criticized manufacturer Johnson & Johnson for quality control oversights after several medications were produced with “known contamination with gram negative organisms” in a Pennsylvania factory.

43 products were recalled last week including varieties of Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec and Benadryl for infants and children. ABC News describes the nature of the contaminants found in the finished lots of the products:

Preliminary tests have only narrowed down the possible bacterial contaminant to a category of microorganism described as “gram negative,” a broad group that includes many germs potentially harmful to humans.

Although no injuries or illness has been reported stemming from use of the contaminated drugs, consumers report a lax attitude from Johnson & Johnson regarding refunds for the products. And bacterial contamination is not the only quality control issue uncovered at the plant- the drug maker has also come under fire for unsanitary conditions at the factory. The FDA recorded “20 observations of shortcomings” at the facility, which has been shut down indefinitely. The FDA has also not ruled out further action against the company.

FDA slams J&J again, tells parents ‘use generics’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

In November and December of 2009, Tylenol issued some broad recalls of a number of products including Arthritis Pain Caplets and varieties of Motrin, Rolaids and Benadryl due to a “moldy, musty smell” that caused mild illness in some people.

The FDA criticized Johnson & Johnson after the recall for dragging their feet on disclosing the risks to consumers:

“When something smells bad, literally and figuratively, you aggressively investigate and solve the problem,” said Deborah Autor, director of FDA’s compliance office.

“The company should have acted faster,” Autor said. “All companies have a responsibility to ensure high quality, safety and effectiveness of their products and protect consumers.”

Now Tylenol is recalling another group of medications, due to a spate of manufacturing defects:

Consumers should stop using certain lots of infants’ and children’s Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec and Benadryl products because some of them may contain too much of the active ingredient, McNeil said in a statement late Friday. Other products may contain tiny particles or inactive ingredients that may not meet testing requirements, the company said.

Included in the recall are infants’ and children’s pain and allergy suspension liquids:

Tylenol Infants’ Drops, Children’s Tylenol Suspensions, Infants’ Motrin Drops, Children’s Zyrtec liquid in bottles and Children’s Benadryl Allergy liquids in bottles.

Consumers who believe they may be in possession of recalled medications are advised to stop using the medications and may visit mcneilproductrecall.com for further information.

Infants’ and Children’s Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec, Benadryl recalled is a post from: The Inquisitr

Remember the recall of Tylenol, specifically Arthritis Pain EZ-open tabs late last month?

The product was recalled due to contamination with a substance that causes vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms. While that recall was for a specific variety of Tylenol, it turns out many more medications were affected than originally disclosed to the public by Johnson & Johnson’s McNeil Consumer Health Care. The FDA claims that the company knew of the issue with 2,4,6-tribromoanisole, thought to stem from exposure to storage pallets, for more than a year but did not take adequate measures to inform the public of the dangers posed by the affected medications.

What’s worse is that the affected number of products ranged far beyond the one variety of Tylenol originally indicated in the recall. Varieties of Motrin, Rolaids and Benadryl- all very popular over the counter medications in wide use across the country- are now also being recalled for the “moldy, musty smell” and ensuing illness experienced by some consumers. The FDA slammed Johnson & Johnson for their slow action in informing consumers about the risks:

“When something smells bad, literally and figuratively, you aggressively investigate and solve the problem,” said Deborah Autor, director of FDA’s compliance office.

“The company should have acted faster,” Autor said. “All companies have a responsibility to ensure high quality, safety and effectiveness of their products and protect consumers.”

Below are some of the specific products named in the recall:

The recalled products include junior strength Motrin, children’s Tylenol grape meltaway tablets, extra strength Tylenol, extra strength Tylenol rapid release gelcaps, extra strength Tylenol PM geltabs, Motrin caplets, extra strength Rolaids fresh mint tablets, St. Joseph Aspirin chewable orange tablets and Benedryl allergy ultratab tablets.

Consumers with products believed to be part of the recall are urged to contact the company at 1-888-222-6036, or log on to www.mcneilproductrecall.com. Johnson & Johnson have also advised consumers with health concerns to “contact their healthcare provider.” However, a large number of Americans lack basic health coverage so it’s likely that many who use Tylenol, Rolaids or Benadryl also lack access to regular prescription medications, forcing them to resort to over the counter solutions.

FDA slams Tylenol as recall spreads to Motrin, Benadryl, Rolaids, more is a post from: The Inquisitr

A five-lot recall of Tylenol Arthritis Pain Caplets announced last November has been expanded, maker McNeil PPC Inc. has announced.

The affected product, notable for its distinctive red EZ-Open snap cap, has caused users to experience nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea, and is reported to have “an unusual moldy, musty, or mildew-like odor.” The maker of Tylenol says the symptoms are temporary and “non-serious,” and come as a result of a “breakdown of a chemical used to treat wooden pallets that transport and store packaging materials,” called 2,4,6-tribromoanisole. The company does, however, admit that the effects of the compound have “not been well studied.”

Consumers are advised to cease taking the medication immediately and contact the company for return and refund information. The UPC is #0045-0838-21, the code is #8382100, and the recalled lots of the medication are as follows:

07CMC011, 07DMC022, 07DMC024, 07FMC032, 07FMC033, 07GMC038, 07GMC039, 07HMC045, 07HMC051, 07HMC053, 07JMC064, 07JMC069, 07JMC070, 07JMC071, 07XMC055, 07XMC058, 07XMC062, 08AMC002, 08AMC005, 08CMC026, 08DMC029, 08EMC037, 08EMC039, 08FMC044, 08FMC045, 08GMC050, 08GMC053, 08GMC063, 08GMC065, 08JMC103, 08JMC109, 08JMC110, 08JMC111, 08KMC124, 08KMC127, 08KMC131, 08KMC132, 08XMC093, 08XMC094, 08XMC095, 09AMC010, 09CMC041, 09EMC075, 09EMC079, 09EMC076, 09GMC096, 09GMC097, 09GMC099, 09JMC118, 09JMC126, 09KMC133, 09KMC134, 09XMC114, and 09XMC116.

[Source]

Tylenol expands recall on Arthritis Pain Caplets is a post from: The Inquisitr