Infants’ Tylenol Recalled After Only Months Back on the Market

by Malia on February 18th, 2012 | 4 Comments » | In Life, Parenting

Last May we were excited to announce the changes to acetaminophen (Tylenol brand and others) concentration and packaging that are intended to make acetaminophen safer and easier to use. Ironically, it is these very changes that are triggering Johnson and Johnson to recall ALL their Infants’ Tylenol in the US. The new packaging that is designed to prevent a child taking the Tylenol on his own and improve ease of dosing for parents has malfunctioned in 17 reported cases. The internal cover is being accidentally pushed into the bottle by parents, negating the new safety features. See a video of the new packaging and correct use here: http://www.youtube.com/tylenol.

There are no problems with the Tylenol medication itself and bottles that have not malfunctioned can continue to be used. If you have a package that has been recalled you can go to Tylenol.com for information about obtaining a refund. You’ll also notice that Infants’ Tylenol will be gone from the shelves (again) with no word as to when it will be back. Children’s Tylenol and generic infants’ acetaminophen products continue to be safe to use. If in doubt, ask your pharmacist to direct you to a safe product.

Has anyone used the new packaging? I still have the old concentration in my medicine cabinet. I have to wonder if this problem is Johnson and Johnson’s fault or if it’s really more of a user error problem, or maybe a little of both. What do you think?

About the Author
Malia

After a year and a half of motherhood, Malia is finding life as a full time work-outside-the-home mom much, much more rewarding and both more and less challenging than she expected. She's constantly amazed by the wonderful new little person in her life and all his antics, but also thoroughly enjoys leaving him in loving care while she works in "grown up land" (on most days anyway). Her family will soon be growing as they plan to welcome a baby girl into the family this winter. Her impending arrival has everyone excited and a little freaked out (except for baby Jack, who at 18 months is still blissfully clueless).

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Comments (4)

  1. Kristi

    February 18, 2012

    Considering it works just like most liquid antibiotics, I can’t see what the real problem it. I think some people just like to complain. Yes the old bottle with the dropper in it was easier, but I actually prefer infant advil over tylenol( due to effectiveness) and that bottle you have the separate syringe which is more of a pain than either of these solutions. I find the separate syringe/flip bottle method to dose to be the most accurate of all.

    These past 2 recalls haven’t really been about issues with the medication per se but rather user error which is a shame. I never understood why it was so hard to read the bottle to figure out dosing. For an infant it was far easier to give less of a more concentrated solution than more of a less concentrated solution to a wiggly baby.

  2. ACMommy3

    February 18, 2012

    This new “style” of a medicine bottle is a bit harder to use….something that isn’t fun if you’re holding a sick baby and trying to get the medicine out. At times it resulted in a mess. Love the effort to be safe, hope they keep working on it. :-)

  3. kathryn

    February 19, 2012

    I just got a new bottle when W had high fevers w/ croup last week. I thought the new packaging / dispensing was pretty nifty!

  4. Jan Messali

    March 19, 2012

    That explains it… I just went to pick up some Tylenol and couldn’t find it on the shelves.

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