The Food and Drug Administration has found serious deficiencies in the plant that made Tylenol products for babies and children. The manufacturer, McNeil, has voluntarily recalled 1,500 lots of liquid medication for children and infants. Products range from Benadryl and Motrin to Tylenol and Zyrtec.
What is so disturbing about this particular recall is that McNeil allegedly knew that the raw materials were contaminated with bacteria and used them anyway. The plant in Fort Washington, PA was also cited by the FDA for dust, dirt and duct tape covering pipes in violation of good manufacturing practices.
This isn’t the first time that the parent company, Johnson and Johnson, has been cited for manufacturing problems. In January the company had to recall adult medications made in Puerto Rico. Consumers complained of Tylenol and other over-the-counter products that had a bad odor and were linked to digestive tract upset. The FDA does not yet have any reports of children suffering adverse effects from liquid Tylenol, but it is shocking that a leader in the industry would allow a plant to operate with substandard conditions.