Musty odor complaints from consumers and follow-on product recalls continue to badger Johnson & Johnson nearly two years after a Tylenol recall began its high-visibility quality assurance-based rolling recalls of dozens of drugs. This time the drugs are Ortho-McNeil-Janssen's anti-schizophrenic Risperdal and sibling risperidone, which is marketed by subsidiary Patriot Pharmaceuticals.
The drugmaker, in the by-now standard drill, has traced two consumer reports of the odor to the byproduct of a chemical used as a preservative in wooden pallets. It says in an announcement that it has "instituted several actions to reduce TBA contamination risk." It says also an investigation continues.
The recalls are for one lot of each drug--16,000 bottles of 3-mg Risperdal and 24,000 bottles of 2-mg risperidone. The Risperdal recall involves product shipped between August 2010 and February 2011; J&J estimates some 1,600 bottles remain on the market. The risperidone lot was shipped between last November and January; half may still be on shelves.
- see the J&J announcement
- here's more
- see the Wall Street Journal rundown of J&J recalls