McNeil Recalls Zyrtec, Motrin and Other OTC Kids' Medicines

Late yesterday, McNeil Consumer Healthcare recalled several children's medicines due to concerns about product quality. These recalled items, such as Tylenol, Motrin and Zyrtec, are in liquid form and parents and caregivers should check their medicine cupboard, and compare the NDC numbers on the recalled list with those on their product label. The NDC is printed in a tiny font and is located just above the product's name on the front of the label. These recalled liquid children's medicines were sold in the United States and Canada.

To read McNeil's Press Release regarding this latest recall of children's OTC medicines, please click here.

McNeil Children's Medicine Recall List

Popular children's pain relievers and fever reducers, Tylenol and Motrin, in various flavors, made this latest McNeil recall list.

Tylenol:

Tylenol Infant Drops
Children's Tylenol Suspensions
Children's Tylenol Plus Suspensions

Motrin:

Motrin Infant Drops
Children's Motrin Suspensions
Children's Motrin Cold Suspensions

Also subject to the McNeil recall were two antihistamine medications formulated for children with allergies. These liquid suspension medications were Children's Zyrtec Liquids and Children's Benadryl Allergy Liquids.

Parents whose children are currently taking these medications are urged discontinue their use and speak with their pediatrician. The FDA is now investigating this matter, according to Fox News, as this massive recall of children's medications includes 40 products. Fox reports that these medications may have higher than normal concentrations of active ingredients, inactive ingredients that do not meet internal standards or may even contain particles in the liquid medications that should not be present.

McNeil Recall... again?

It wasn't long ago that McNeil recalled a large number of adult OTC medications, including Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl, among others. The January expansion of the November 2009 recall directly affected me, as well as family members. I was able to navigate my way through and claim replacement coupons to replace those affected by the January 2010 McNeil Recall. January's recall was allegedly caused by a chemical used to treat shipment pallets.

In September of 2009, McNeil recalled certain liquid Children's Tylenol as a precaution because of an inactive ingredient not meeting internal testing, specifically that it tested positive for a bacteria. The inactive ingredient was not used in production; however, McNeil elected to recall product made in the facility as a precaution.

What parents and caregivers can do

Visit http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com to find more information, including a full list of the products recalled. The January 15, 2010 McNeil recall was also released on a Friday. This is the second McNeil recall to directly affect me and my family in less than six months, and both times, the recalls were announced on a weekend when there were reduced help line hours, prompting a lot of frustration.

Parents can also call 888-222-6036 to hear the press release on the phone, though they may wish to wait until the week begins. I called the toll free number during open business hours and selected 9 several times to attempt to reach a customer service operator. After being offered the option of speaking with someone three times, the call ended abruptly with the automated system telling me to call back another time - goodbye!

Affected Canadian customers can visit http://www.jnjcanada.com for more information. Johnson & Johnson's Canadian site specifically states that only Children's Motrin and Infant's Motrin liquid suspension and Children's Tylenol Cough and Runny Nose liquid suspension are subject to recall in Canada. No other products are affected.

McNeil recall press release doesn't tell consumers how to get a replacement

The Press Release did not specifically address what consumers are to do with these recalled OTC medications, leaving parents up in the air about how to obtain a replacement or if we should return the product to a store for a refund.

Sources:

www.tylenolprofessional.com/assets/TYLENOL_Letter_091809.pdf
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,591882,00.html?test=latestnews
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2603859/mcneil_recalls_tylenol_motrin_and_otc.html
Canada: http://www.jnjcanada.com/