MHM's Coverage of the Tylenol Product Recall

In late December 2009, McNeil Consumer Healthcare pulled all product lots of Tylenol Arthritis Pain caplets off retail shelves, blaming a chemical in wood pallets for contaminating the drugs with a musty odor. Shortly thereafter, the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary expanded the recall to include Motrin, Rolaids and many other types of Tylenol-branded medications.

Meanwhile, frantic calls from wood pallet users to their suppliers forced wood pallet companies and the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association to try to contain the damage caused by the negative publicity.

Then, in April 2010, McNeil recalled even more over-the-counter drugs—this time, the contaminated items were Children’s and Infant’s liquid products manufactured at its Fort Washington, Pa., facility. In response to a scathing FDA report that accused McNeil of approving contaminated raw materials, McNeil shut down its Pennsylvania facility and does not plan to resume production until the quality issues are resolved.

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