Personal Injury Law

Drug Recalls Cause Headache for Healthcare Giant

By guest-writer

A defect in the packaging of two popular antacids has left Johnson & Johnson scrambling to recall millions of defective drugs. Recently, the embattled company recalled 12 million bottles of Mylanta, and nearly 100,000 bottles of AlternaGel, a liquid antacid.

The recalls are taking place at the wholesale and retail levels, as both warehouses and stores must take the offending products off their shelves. However, customers will still be able to use the products.

The reason for consumers’ ability to continue using the products centers on the seemingly innocent nature of the recall. The company launched the massive recall because it had failed to properly warn consumers of the trace amounts of alcohol in the products. Sources indicate that this warning failed to appear on the bottles’ labels.

The trace amount of alcohol, which is present in a flavoring agent used in Mylanta, causes the medicine to contain less than one percent alcohol by volume. While this is a small amount of alcohol, consumer safety advocates were concerned with the potential for personal injury to small children and non-drinkers.

The recalled products were made in a factory in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately for Johnson & Johnson, another of the company’s Pennsylvania plants was recently shut down to remedy hygiene issues that forced other recalls of popular products.

In addition, just a week before the Mylanta recall, the company was forced to recall 9 million bottles of Tylenol because of a similar issue involving the failure to warn consumers of the presence of alcohol in the medication.

The Tylenol and Mylanta recalls come in the wake of a terrible stretch of bad luck for Johnson & Johnson’s reputation, as more than 200 million bottles of products have been recalled this year, including their popular brands Motrin, Benadryl, and Rolaids.

As more consumers lose faith in the company’s products and opt for cheaper generic brands, Johnson & Johnson faces several hurdles in regaining consumer confidence.

Beyond the company’s financial difficulties is the danger inherent in selling faulty products to consumers. In order to protect Americans from the harsh effects of defective drugs, personal injury law offers a legal recourse for injured consumers.

Defective product lawsuits may arise from a number of different causes, including faulty labeling of medicine, defective manufacturing of the drug itself, negative reactions to a drug, and injuries from unknown side effects.

Moreover, defective medical devices may also cause serious personal injuries leading to successful product liability lawsuits.

If you have suffered an injury as a result of a defective drug or medical devise, call a local injury lawyer today. You may have a valid product liability claim, and your attorney may help you determine whether you should seek damages.

Full post as published by The Injury Blog on December 15, 2010 (boomark / email).