Johnson and Johnson has initiated a voluntary recall of some half a million bottles of infant Tylenol in another round of recalls that follows recent problems with similar products.

J&J said in the statement that :

“No adverse events associated with this action have been reported to date and the risk of a serious adverse medical event is remote.”

Nonetheless, the size of the recall indicates some major problems in the manufacturing process. The company said that a small number of complaints had been received in regards to the SimpleMeasure dosing system.

The second largest drug maker in the world, based out of New Brunswick, NJ, said that the bottles syringe and barrier system that controls dosing had in some cases been pushed into the bottle by customers.

The company made the decision to shift management of its over-the-counter products business last month and has recalled hundreds of millions of packets of Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl and other products due to foul odors, adulterated ingredients and bad labeling in the last two years, and even closed down a factory causing more than a billion dollars in lost sales.

They said that customers can continue using product they purchased provided the ‘flow restrictor’ at the top of the bottle remains in place. In other cases packets were found by customers not to contain any syringe at all.

Johnson and Johnson has also been in hot water from consumer groups over carcinogenic ingredients in its famous baby shampoo, and is struggling to maintain customer loyalty.

Written by Rupert Shepherd