There are very few products for which I insist on the name brand, but over the counter medication has typically been one. It started when I realized that Advil works better for me than the generic ibuprofen. After seeing a science experiment that timed how quickly different ibuprofen brands dissolved, I knew I was not imagining it. That said, it could be coincidence that the Advil formulation and my body happen to get along rather than any indication that the name brand is of a higher quality. Nevertheless, old habits die hard, and this experience has led me to choose trusted name brand medications for my children as well.
So what happens to my habit when the name brands I count on are recalled?
When the first of recent Children’s Tylenol recalls were announced last September, we checked our cupboards, and none of our bottles were recalled. I chalked it up to an unfortunate event and did not follow it much outside of WeMakeItSafer. But by the time the third and fourth recalls of Tylenol product took place, I began to take notice. Still, none of our medications had been recalled. On May 1st, following the fifth recall of Tylenol products in less than nine months, that changed.
It was a Saturday afternoon, and our youngest son was playing baseball. I anxiously watched from the sidelines as he took off from third and charged into home plate at rocket speed, matched only by the speed of the ball being thrust toward home by the opposing team’s shortstop. Our son, catching a glimpse of the ball as it zipped toward the catcher, leapt into the longest slide I think I have ever seen. When the dust cleared, his foot was on home plate; he had made it under the ball! Parents were jumping up and down on the sidelines, cheering… but our son was not getting up! I immediately sprang into Mama mode and run toward the dugout.
A few moments later, my husband, who also happens to be the coach, helped off the field our son as he tried to hide his muddy-tears. He had landed on his elbow – the same one he had hurt just the day before. At the time, we weren’t sure whether or not it was broken, but by evening the swelling had gone down and he was feeling better except for some aching. So, at bedtime, I gave him a dose of Children’s Motrin, then tucked him in before heading to my computer.
About an hour or two into my work, I got an email from a coworker: “I don't know if you've seen this, but it's huge: {link to story, since removed.} We should probably tweet and/or FB post it, for the sole purpose of notifying people.”
I immediately reached for the Motrin I had just opened and, sure enough – RECALLED! I could not believe it. I am probably among the most recall-aware people in the world, and I just fed my son potentially dangerous medicine! I absolutely, positively cannot wait for WeMakeItSafer to add FDA recalls - had this been a CPSC recall of something I own, I would have received an alert! ...a service that will be rolled out to the public shortly. (You can sign up for a beta invitation by emailing beta@WeMakeItSafer.com.)
Although comments in the press release by McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary that makes the medicine, kept me from waking our son to have his stomach pumped, the comments did little for my view of the company:
“This recall is not being undertaken on the basis of adverse medical events. However, as a precautionary measure, parents and caregivers should not administer these products to their children. Some of the products included in the recall may contain a higher concentration of active ingredient than is specified; others may contain inactive ingredients that may not meet internal testing requirements; and others may contain tiny particles. While the potential for serious medical events is remote, the company advises consumers who have purchased these recalled products to discontinue use.”
In my opinion, the press releases did nothing to take ownership of the problem and spent more words trying to convince consumers that there really wasn’t a problem at all than conveying important information. How much additional medication? Just what kind of "particles" are we talking about? And, by the way, how long have you known about this before telling us? I find it quite doubtful that you discovered all three potential problems with the medication at the same time, yet you are announcing them all at once, so which problem had to wait? Oh, and am I really supposed to believe that the timing of your announcement had nothing to do with waiting for the markets to close on a Friday afternoon...not to mention a quarterly earnings report just days before? Had you told me early in the day on a week day, not to mention when you actually knew about the problem, I and who knows how many thousands of other parents might have spared our children the possibility of completely avoidable harm.
As my son lay sleeping, recalled medication running through his body, I could not help but be concerned and found myself tiptoeing into his room an extra time or two to check on him.
For me, this recall was the last straw. I was (and am) angry at Johnson & Johnson for making shoddy product, failing to tell consumers about it in a timely manner and not taking responsibility for their actions, but I am even more angry at myself. How many recalls does it take for me to not trust a brand any longer? For J&J, a brand I thought I knew, it apparently takes five (including the December expansion). Fool me once, shame on you… fool me five times?! Super shame on me!
Even before checking if the other J&J medications in our cupboards were recalled, the next day, I restocked – entirely with generics. Our local drugstore had already pulled the affected product, and the bare shelves were a quick study on J&J dominance in the market for children's medication.
Later, I went through each of our medicine cabinets and our travel bags, where we keep extra for when we are away and found eight bottles of J&J medication. All recalled!
Now what? Here is the process for collecting a refund on recalled J&J medication.
Step 1. Figure out if yours have been recalled.
Sound simple? Well, it’s not. After checking all our products against the latest recall at http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com/index.jhtml, I thought I was done, but wanted to check the past recalls, too, just in case. After clicking around for a while trying to find a true homepage, I finally noticed the small link to previous recalls at the bottom of the page for the April 30th recall. 
Step 2. Find and complete the form. I found it in FAQs, but you can also get to it from the main page. Fill in all your personal information, even though your are also told, “Because email sent to and from this site may not be secure, you should take special care in deciding what information you send...” All fields are required.
Step 3. Pick a call back time.
Seriously? Apparently so. Your choices are 9am – 12pm or 12pm – 4:30pm EST. “We will do our best to honor your time request.” I am on the Pacific coast and I can promise I won't be taking their call (or anyone else’s) between 6am and 9am, so they better try hard. Hm, I wonder if they will leave a message.
Step 4. Decide whether to, “Click here if you would like to be notified via email when the affected products become available again.”
Yeah right. How dumb do they think I am? I learn after five or so times. I'm not THAT foolish.
Step 5. Complete product information for every bottle.
Note, if you have more than six bottles, you have to do it all over again on a separate form.
Of our eight bottles, three were expired and of the bright red cherry
variety – left over from before we discovered our oldest son is
allergic to food dye. The form does not allow you to enter any products
with expiration dates before 2010, so I just entered the four that are
included in the most recent recall. Our last bottle was from an earlier
recall that I apparently missed – fortunately, we never opened it. I
will have to figure out where to submit that one later because this
form is only for the most recent recall.
After
a few tries fixing lot number errors, I finally got them submitted.
Step 6. Pick whether you want a refund or coupon for more product.
Um, more product so I can be in line for the sixth recall. No Thanks.
Step 7. Wait.
I did not get a confirmation email and have not yet heard from the company, so I cannot say how long the "wait" step will be, but I will report back when I know what comes next.
2010-06-03 UPDATE: Since I originally drafting this post, Colleen Goggins, Worldwide Chairman, Consumer Group, Johnson &
Johnson, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives
Committee. A link to the hearing is located on this government site: http://oversight.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4947&Itemid=2. You will hear some very shocking allegations by the Committee regarding McNeil/J&J's past practices, including a "phantom recall" whereby, instead of issuing true product recall, J&J allegedly hired contract workers to buy products off the shelves of retailers and instructed the retailers to say nothing about a recall. Investigation is ongoing.
