McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, faced federal criminal charges that it sold infant’s and children’s liquid medicine containing metal particles. They pled guilty.
McNeil Consumer Healthcare acknowledged it failed to take corrective action after discovering the bottles of Infant’s and Children’s Tylenol and Children’s Motrin contained metal particles. They agreed to pay $25 million to resolve the case. During manufacturing at a plant in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, metal particles including nickel, iron, and chromium were introduced into the bottles. To date, no injuries have been reported.
According to court documents, McNeil first learned of the particle problem in May 2009, when a consumer filed a complaint about black specks inside a bottle of Infant’s Tylenol. Subsequently, McNeil found metal particles during production, but continued producing the liquid medications. Eventually, the problem was traced to machinery at a plant in Fort Washington. A recall was issued. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said that the potential for serious medical problems are remote, but advised consumers to stop using the medicine.
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