J&J Announces Yet Another Recall

Another day, another J&J product recall. This recall covers both pediatric and adult products in the United States and about a dozen other countries on two continents. What are we up to with J&J product recalls? I think this is recall #7 or 8 major one in the last two years, at least the fourth one this year, and the second one in three weeks.

The reason for this recall? J&J says this is a “precaution” because these additional lots came in contact with the same materials that contaminated all the other J&J products. In other words, these lots should have been recalled before, but weren’t (for some reason). That seems to be a recurring theme with Johnson & Johnson.

Oh, By the Way, if you’re looking for any officially communication from J&J, forget it. J&J is pretending this isn’t happening. There’s been no word over at their official blog JNJBTW on the last several rounds of product recalls. I want to give J&J credit for actually being honest about the problem instead of hiring consultants to get the products off the shelves during the dark of night (like they have done in the past). But doing the right thing should be a minimum expectation, not the exception to the rule that it seems to be at J&J. And if you’re looking for the company to sound concerned about the safety of its products? Forget it.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. We have a company that has systemically contaminated products at multiple sites in multiple countries, has ignored FDA warning letters going back to 2003 and doesn’t seem at all concerned it is poisoning people (including young children). What’s wrong with this picture?

Given the widespread nature of the manufacturing problems at J&J, we cannot assume that any J&J products are safe. These manufacturing problems are systemic across J&J and not isolated to some random manufacturing facility. For me, I question the safety of all J&J’s products. They make a lot of products, from pharmaceutical products (like Risperdal, Procrit, Levaquin, Concerta, Velcade, Aciphex, Prezista, Duragesic, etc.) to health and beauty products (like Aveeno, Listerine, etc.).

It is up to J&J to prove to us that it is an ethical company. It is up to J&J to prove that its other products are safe. The burden of proof is on J&J. We can no longer accept it on faith.

More background on the J&J manufacturing mess: