Photo

Reuters Photojournalism

Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography.  See more | Photo caption 

Photo

Rage in Brazil

Mass protests erupt in the biggest cities of Brazil.  Slideshow 

Photo

The Afghan Army

The many faces of the Afghan National Army, which has taken over security of the country from NATO.  Slideshow 

Sponsored Links

J&J heartburn worsens as Mylanta joins recall list

Related Topics

NEW YORK | Thu Dec 2, 2010 12:57pm EST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson's consumer-product distress worsened on Wednesday as the company recalled 12 million bottles of over-the-counter Mylanta and almost 85,000 bottles of its AlternaGel liquid antacid.

J&J said the actions, which it described as "wholesale and retail level" recalls, were taken because the presence of small amounts of alcohol from flavoring agents was not noted on product packaging.

"It is unlikely that use of these products will cause either alcohol absorption or alcohol sensitivity adverse events," the company said on its Mylanta website.

Although wholesalers and retail outlets are obliged to clear their shelves of the products, the company said consumers may continue to use the medicines, which contained concentrations of less than 1 percent alcohol.

The brands are manufactured as part of a 50/50 joint venture with Merck & Co, formed to develop and make non-prescription drugs primarily derived from Merck's prescription drugs.

J&J said the products were made at the joint venture's plant in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A J&J plant in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, has been shut down to fix hygiene problems and other quality control lapses that in the past year have forced huge recalls of J&J's own iconic consumer brands.

Just a week ago, J&J recalled 9 million bottles of Tylenol because packaging did not adequately inform customers about the presence of trace amounts of alcohol. They were made by a third-party manufacturer.

All told, more than 200 million bottles of J&J products have been recalled in the past year, including painkillers Tylenol and Motrin, allergy treatment Benadryl and Rolaid antacid.

The crisis has harmed J&J's once-pristine image and is beginning to take a significant toll on its financial results. U.S. sales of J&J's consumer products plunged 25 percent in the third quarter as scores of formulations became unavailable and customers opted instead for generic store brands.

Quality-control problems have also hounded J&J's factory in Las Piedras, Puerto Rico, forcing recalls of Benadryl and Tylenol in June.

Wells Fargo analyst Larry Biegelsen on Tuesday cautioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could temporarily shut down or seize the Puerto Rico plant, after having recently inspected it and noting unresolved quality-control lapses in an agency report filed November 2.

The negative report, called a Form 483, follows a similar one issued by the FDA after an inspection of the plant in January and February, Biegelsen said.

Biegelsen said the Puerto Rico plant produces most of the over-the-counter drugs sold in the United States by J&J's McNeil consumer healthcare division.

J&J last week declined to comment whether it may be forced to take special charges to account for the mounting number of recalls.

(Reporting by Ransdell Pierson, editing by Dave Zimmerman)

We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (3)
RussellMartin wrote:
So, what is it supposed to mean when they advertise as “a family company”? Like we are supposed to trust them? Never have, never will. It’s not about health, it’s always about the money.

Dec 02, 2010 11:02am EST  --  Report as abuse
TravisMichael wrote:
Between another recall and the Puerto Rican facilities problems, I wonder just how much longer J&J can keep the trust of consumers? I hope this situation is resolved soon. TM, http://www.tylenol-attorney.com/

Dec 02, 2010 2:07pm EST  --  Report as abuse
LynnJ wrote:
I believe RussellMartin is confusing Johnson & Johnson with SEJohnson & Co, the folks who make multiple petroleum-based products (cleaning agents, plasticware, etc). They haven’t had any recalls of late, altho their strong chemicals are not as benign as they would want you to think… many folks believe that exposure to such unnecessary chemicals, i.e, via air fresheners (made by SEJ&Co), are causing a percentage of the population to develop multiple-chemical intolerances, and that they are aggravating other medical conditions, including asthma.

Dec 02, 2010 6:21pm EST  --  Report as abuse
This discussion is now closed. We welcome comments on our articles for a limited period after their publication.