Approximately 4 million packages of Children’s Benadryl Allergy Fastmelt Tablets (grape and cherry flavors) and 800,000 bottles of Motrin Junior-Strength have been recalled by Johnson & Johnson (J&J). Consumers can continue using their products because the recall refers to the wholesale and retail part of the distribution process only.
The recalled Benadryl was distributed to the USA, Canada, Barbados, Belize, St. Martin, St. Thomas and Puerto Rico, while the Motrin was only distributed inside the USA.
According to J&J, there were issues at the Fort Washington, Pennsylvania plant which has since closed. The packaging of said products appears to be fine, however, an internal review detected “insufficiencies in the development of the manufacturing process.”
2010 has been a bad year for J&J recalls. In late April, over 135 million bottles of OTC medicines were recalled due to manufacturing deficiencies, included in the recall were Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec and Benadryl.
J&J recalls eventually triggered an FDA (Food and Drug Administration) investigation. The FDA wrote an extremely critical report about manufacturing practices at the J&J’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare Unit (plant) at Fort Washington. There were two Senate investigations. An Oversight Committee hearing revealed some unusual cover-ups.
McNeil Consumer Healthcare spokesperson, Bonnie Jacobs, said:
- “There’s no safety issue, and consumers don’t have to take any action. There’s no indication the products don’t meet quality standards, and it’s not being undertaken on the basis of adverse events.”
This latest recall is the result of a review the company carried out as part of a plan that had been agreed with the FDA to address previous recall issues.
A J&J communiqué wrote:
- “(The review) revealed insufficiencies in the development of the manufacturing process.”
The spokesperson did go into detail about the insufficiencies. Jacobs stressed that the products are fine.
Written by Christian Nordqvist