• 19
  • February
    2012

Over the past few years, anxious parents have had to think twice before giving their babies medication. Various recalls and media reports focusing on unintentional infant medication overdoses inspired panic in the parents of very young children. Medications that had been administered to babies for years were suddenly characterized as potentially dangerous drugs.

Unfortunately, it is not yet time for parents to relax. Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has recently announced that it is recalling more than half a million bottles of grape-flavored Tylenol for infants.

In 2010, various recalls related to the quality and dosing of over-the-counter children's medications led to industry-wide scrutiny. J&J has reportedly lost approximately $1 billion due to recalls of its related products. Though the company has officially spent $100 million fixing problems in one manufacturing plant alone, its efforts have yet to yield consistently safe medication.

This latest recall was prompted by a malfunctioning package design. The company had redesigned the way in which Infant Tylenol is dispensed due to concerns about unintentional overdosing. The new Infant Tylenol package comes equipped with a syringe-flow restrictor, designed to address these concerns. When used properly, the medication is measured properly. However, the system is at risk of being pushed into the bottle, which tampers with the dosing process.

The J&J chairman and CEO has insisted that the recall serves as "an important reminder that we must take every step to preserve and reinforce our commitment to patients and customers." Indeed, pharmaceutical companies do maintain a certain duty to the consumers of their products. If drugs are placed on the market, they are required to be safe, or appropriately labeled with any known risks.

Hopefully J&J will fix the problems with Infants Tylenol promptly in order to ease the minds of anxious parents and deliver relief to sick children.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, "Infants Tylenol recalled by J&J," David Sell, Feb. 17, 2012