Johnson & Johnson has recalled 100 million products over the past two years, with the most massive recalls in 2010. These recalls have caused a shortage of Tylenol, Motrin, Sudafed, and Benadryl, but also a serious PR problem for J&J, which is now battling a dwindling trust in consumers over its manufacturing and quality control issues.
The last recall, announced July 28, deals with one product lot (60,912 bottles) of TYLENOL Extra Strength Caplets, 225 count bottles, distributed in the U.S. The product was manufactured in February, 2009, and it’s being recalled because of reports of musty, moldy odor, which has been linked to the presence of trace amounts of a chemical known as 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA). The chemical is generally used as a fungicide to treat wooden pallets on which product packaging materials are transported and stored. The company is recalling the TYLENOL Extra Strength Caplets containing traces of the chemical as TBA has been associated with temporary and non-serious gastrointestinal symptoms.
If you are unsure about your Tylenol product, you can find the lot number for the recalled product on the side of the bottle label: ABA619. UPC Code is 300450444271.
Consumers who purchased product from the lot included in this recall should stop using the product and contact McNeil Consumer Healthcare by calling 1-888-222-6036 (Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time) for instructions about receiving a refund or product coupon.
Of course, Burson-Marsteller is PR royalty for the amazing crisis PR work they did in 1982, after seven people died after taking cyanide-laced capsules of Extra-Strength Tylenol – and the brand recalled all Tylenol capsules from store shelves. B-M continues handling certain projects for Tylenol, and Zeno Group handles some of the company’s consumer brand work.