J&J Botches Sudafed Dosing Instructions
The latest Johnson & Johnson recall was caused by incorrect dosing instructions on more than 667,000 Sudafed packages. Customers don’t need to return the products, which have the correct wording on the blister packets that hold the tablets.
The incorrect wording includes a double negative that instructs patients: “do not not divide, crush, chew, or dissolve the packet.†There have been no reports of adverse events related to this labeling error, but it was enough to prompt the company to recall at the wholesale level nine product lots of Sudafed 24 Hour, Pseudephedrine HCI, Extended-Release Tablets.
Recalls cost the cold medicine label $900 million in sales last year, including dozens of over-the-counter medicines found to be incorrectly labeled or contaminated. This month alone, Johnson & Johnson have recalled vials of discolored Dermabond skin adhesive, syringes of Invenga Sustenna with possible cracks, and Simponi injectable pens. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company’s CEO saw his performance bonus cut by 45 percent this year, although his salary was increased by 3 percent.