Pediatric over-the-counter medication recall – National Consumers League

One of Johnson and Johnson’s divisions – McNeil Consumer Healthcare – has issued a large voluntary recall of several different over-the-counter medications for infants and children.  Federal regulators determined there were manufacturing deficiencies at the company’s facility, resulting in the recall of 43 different products including Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec, and Benadryl.

The Food and Drug Administration is recommending parents and caregivers stop using the affected products, but it is important to note that they have said they don’t believe there will be any serious health problems linked to the recall.

McNeil and the FDA are currently working to figure out when the problem first arose; at this point, they can only say that the problem probably began a while ago.  McNeil issued a statement, which indicated that some of the products in the recall ‘may have higher concentrations of active ingredients than specified, while others may contain inactive ingredients that do not meet internal testing requirements, and others may contain tiny particles’.

Visit McNeil’s Web site for a complete list of the products being recalled.  Contact the FDA if a child who has taken any of the recalled medications any unexpected symptoms.

For alternative solutions, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.  While generic versions of the affected medicines can be used, it is important to remember that adult versions of medications should not be given to infants and children.