The Food and Drug Administration put out the word about the recall of 574,000 bottles of grape Infant Tylenol Oral Suspension used for fever and pain. The Infant Tylenol bottle produced by Johnson & Johnson possesses an internal cap with the ability to slip down into the bottle. Once in the bottle, the internal cap, called a flow restrictor, interferes with accurate application of the dosing syringe. The syringe may fill up with either too much or too little Tylenol for baby. Parents with a sick child want to avoid such a situation that could cause serious injury in a child.
Johnson & Johnson McNeill Consumer Healthcare Division released the recall details on Friday. Since the product sells all over the U.S., parents stocking Infant Tylenol must check all containers, found in the home. The recalled Tylenol involves seven lots with the alphanumeric codes of BIL0U00, BIL0V00, BIL3500, BJL2D00, BJL2E00, BJL2T00, or BJL2U00. If a family finds any of the bottles with these codes and the faulty flow restrictor, the company offers a refund. McNeil Consumer Healthcare lists its contact number as 1-888-222-6036 or website at www.tylenol.com.
According to WebMD, this recall of all bottles of grape Infant Tylenol Oral Suspension in the U.S. follows a string of other recalls of both adult and children’s medications by Johnson & Johnson. The company reported recall problems in the past of sickening package odors, small glass or metals in liquid products and wrong quantities of active ingredients.
Fortunately, the FDA reports no adverse events thus far from the Infant Tylenol. Parents uncovered the problem and reported the difficulty measuring a dose when the internal cap or flow restrictor fell into the bottle to the FDA. Consumers can report any potential or actual problem to the FDA via the MedWatch program. The website for the on-line reporting form is https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/medwatch-online.htm. Consumers reporting a problem capture many potential and real adverse events that prevent further harm. Consumers’ active role in reporting remains a key source of information to protect our U.S. citizens.