For consumers who have been losing trust and patience with Johnson & Johnson over its manufacturing and quality control issues, the announcement of a recall on Thursday from a company unit that makes neurology drugs may seem all too familiar.
The Johnson & Johnson unit, the neurologics division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, said it was recalling about 57,000 bottles of Topamax, a drug that can be prescribed as an anti-seizure medication for epilepsy or to prevent migraine headaches. The company said it was recalling the drug after receiving four complaints from consumers of a strange odor, but added that there had been no reports of serious health problems associated with the complaints.
In 2009 and 2010, similar odor complaints led another unit of Johnson & Johnson, McNeil Consumer Healthcare, to conduct nationwide recalls of millions of bottles of over-the-counter drugs including Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl, Rolaids, Simply Sleep and St. Joseph’s aspirin. A company investigation determined that the moldy odor had been caused by contamination from a byproduct of a chemical used to treat wooden pallets used to transport the drugs.
The recall of Topamax involves two lots of 100mg strength tablets shipped at the end of last year, the company said. Less than 6,000 bottles of the product are believed to remain in stores, the company said.
People taking Topamax who notice a strange odor with the pills should return the tablets to their pharmacist, the company said. Consumers or physicians can contact the Topamax hotline for further information on weekdays between 9am and 5pm at: (866) 536-4398.
The latest recall coincides with efforts by Johnson & Johnson to resolve government charges that it failed to comply with certain manufacturing standards and marketing laws. Last week, Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay $70 million to settle charges with the Justice Department that the company had bribed European doctors.
Last month, the company’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit entered into a consent decree that will give federal drug regulators greater oversight over three manufacturing plants with a history of quality control problems that have led to recalls.
Johnson & Johnson is scheduled to announce its first quarter earnings to investors next Tuesday.