It’s been a tough several years for the reputation of Johnson & Johnson. Over two dozen recalls affecting its most popular products including Tylenol, Benadryl and Motrin have created questions about quality processes at the venerable
company. The Huffington Post notes
The number of recalls and the company’s handling of them – including a 2008 “stealth recall” in which J&J paid another company to secretly buy up defective Motrin packets from stores – have generated investigations by Congress and the Food and Drug Administration. They also forced the shutdown and gutting of the Fort Washington, Pa., factory operated by J&J’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit that made many of the recalled over-the-counter medicines
The family of 2 year old River Moore who died after taking Tylenol from a batch that was later recalled has now sued Johnson & Johnson alleging that the medicine contained a fatal dose of its active ingredient, acetaminophen. The lawsuit
accuses them of “willful and reckless conduct which needlessly caused the death of (the boy) simply to preserve the continuation of their billion-dollar revenue streams of pediatric medicines.”
The suit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, interest and legal expenses.
“We are sympathetic to the pain and hardships suffered by the Moore family,” J&J said in the statement. “We are deeply concerned about all matters related to our medicines and we remain committed to providing safe and effective pediatric medicines.”
From the public statements, there seems to be reasonable evidence to conclude that it is likely that defective medicine was the cause of the child’s death. We don’t know what else might come out through the legal process, but we hope that all involved will make drug safety their primary concern in reaching a resolution in this case.
Related articles
- Couple says defective recalled J&J med killed son (sfgate.com)
- Couple says defective recalled J&J med killed son (seattlepi.com)
- Johnson & Johnson Ends 2011 Just At It Began — By Recalling More Stuff (consumerist.com)
