FORT WASHINGTON,
Pa. (AP) — Johnson & Johnson
on Tuesday announced another Tylenol recall due to a musty moldy odor linked to
a trace chemical.
The company's McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit is recalling one
product lot of Tylenol Extra Strength Caplets made in February 2009 and
distributed in the U.S.
The recall totals 60,912 bottles, each of which has 225 caplets.
McNeil said it has received a small number of reports about
the pills' odor, which has been linked in past J&J recalls to the presence
of trace amounts of "2,4,6-tribromoanisole." TBA is a byproduct of a
chemical preservative sometimes used on shipping pallets.
Besides causing an unpleasant odor, TBA has been associated
with temporary and non-serious gastrointestinal symptoms.
Since September 2009, New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson
& Johnson has had about two dozen recalls of prescription and
nonprescription medicines, replacement hips, contact lenses and diabetes test
strips, including tens of millions of bottles of children's and adult Tylenol
and Motrin.
The reasons have ranged from metal and other contaminants,
to nauseating odors and packaging issues. Joint replacement systems so painful
they required corrective surgery were also recalled, as were contact lenses
that irritated eyes, along with potentially contaminated syringes full of the
antipsychotic drug Invega.
The high-profile lapses have tugged at J&J's revenue,
profit and stock price, as well as its once-stellar reputation. J&J has
said that it has inspected more than 100 plants around the world and invested
millions to improve the quality of its manufacturing and satisfy federal
regulators, who have three of its factories under scrutiny.
The product lot number for the recalled Tylenol Extra
Strength product can be found on the side of the bottle label — it is ABA619
300450444271.
Customers should stop using the product from the lot
immediately and contact McNeil at www.tylenol.com or by calling 1-888-222-6036
for instructions on receiving a refund or product coupon.