Tuesday, November 23, 2010

J&J Recalls Children's Benadryl, Motrin From Wholesale, Retail Locations - Bloomberg

Johnson & Johnson, the largest maker of health-care products, has recalled about 4 million packages of cherry- and grape-flavored Children’s Benadryl allergy tablets and about 800,000 bottles of junior-strength Motrin caplets.

The recall was necessary due to “insufficiencies in the development of the manufacturing process,” Bonnie Jacobs, a J&J spokeswoman, said today in a telephone interview. The recalls are taking place at wholesale and retail locations and don’t require any action by consumers, she said.

J&J’s McNeil unit withdrew more than 40 types of children’s over-the-counter liquid medicines in April, forcing a suspension of production at a manufacturing plant and reducing 2010 sales about $600 million, the New Brunswick, New Jersey-based company said in July. The U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has been investigating J&J’s handling of the recall and a separate incident involving Motrin tablets.

“Consumers can continue to use the product, they don’t have to take any action,” Jacobs said of the Benadryl and Motrin recalls. The action “is not being taken on the basis of adverse events,” or safety issues, she said.

The J&J unit posted a notice Nov. 15 about the recall on the Benadryl Web site, though it didn’t issue a press release, Jacobs said. The products being recalled are Children’s Benadryl allergy Fastmelt tablets, in cherry and grape flavors, and junior-strength Motrin caplets, 24 count, according to the company’s Web site.

The Benadryl tablets were distributed in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Belize, Barbados, St. Martin and St. Thomas while the Motrin was distributed in the U.S., the company said on its Web site.

To contact the reporter on this story: David Olmos in San Francisco at dolmos@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reg Gale at Rgale5@bloomberg.net

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