Johnson & Johnson is experiencing more woes after voluntarily recalling two lots of its schizophrenia drug Risperdal (risperidone) distributed in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The recalls stem from reports of an "uncharacteristic odor" thought to be caused by trace amounts of TBA (2,4,6 tribromoanisole), a by-product of a chemical preservative applied to wood used in the construction of pallets.
The voluntary recall involves of one lot of Risperdal 3-mg tablets marketed by the Janssen Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and one lot of risperidone 2-mg tablets marketed by Patriot Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of the drug giant. The company believes roughly approximately 2,800 bottles of the products remain in the marketplace, according to a statement.
This isn't the first time a moldy smell has led to a J&J recall. Last month, the company recalled 11,700 bottles of Prezista, a treatment for HIV, and earlier this year, 57,000 bottles of smelly Topamax met the same fate, as InPharm notes.
In its statement, the company says it instituted a number of actions to reduce the potential of TBA contamination, including requiring suppliers to certify that they do not use pallets made from chemically treated wood, back in January 2010.
- get more from a J&J statement
- check out the InPharm story