12 Million Bottles of Motrin Recalled

Washington, DCMcNeil Consumer Healthcare Division of McNeil PPC Inc. (McNeil) has announced a recall of certain lots of Motrin IB 24 count coated caplets, Motrin IB 24 count coated tablets and Motrin IB 24+6 count coated caplets from retailers. The recall involves 12 million bottles of the pain reliever.

The products were distributed in the United States, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Fiji, Belize, St. Lucia and Jamaica. McNeil is recalling these products because testing of product samples showed that some caplets may not dissolve as quickly as intended when nearing their expiration date.

In an ironic twist the timing of this latest recall coincides with a lawsuit filed against J&J over allegations that the company misled investors about manufacturing problems that led to dozens of recalls over the past two years. The lawsuit was just given the go-ahead this week.

Lawsuits have also been filed against McNeil Laboratories, the maker of Children's Motrin, and J&J, alleging the companies knew about the risk of Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction that can result from exposure to Ibuprofen, the active ingredient in Children's Motrin.