The Johnson & Johnson unit that produces Rolaids® has issued a nationwide recall of the "Softchews" line of the antacid drug after people reported finding pieces of wood and metal inside. Nothing fights stomach pain like tiny metal "particles"!

McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the J&J unit behind this latest voluntary recall, yesterday issued a statement saying it was pulling back what will amount to over 13 million packages of several kinds of Rolaids® after receiving complaints from consumers who apparently didn't appreciate finding metal and wood particles in their chewy antacid drugs. The company has suspended all production of the chewable Rolaids® until the culprit can be determined. But fear not, because your chances of being injured in any way by this screw up are "remote." McNeil says so! From the company's statement yesterday:

McNeil is taking this action following some consumer reports of foreign materials in the product, including metal and wood particles. The company's investigation has determined that the materials were potentially introduced into the product during the manufacturing process at a third party manufacturer. While the risk of serious adverse health consequences is remote, McNeil Consumer Healthcare advises consumers who have purchased these recalled products to discontinue use.

And why shouldn't you trust McNeil Consumer Healthcare's statement here? Perhaps because this is the same division of J&J that recalled 136 million bottles of children's Tylenol for smelling "musty" earlier this year. Or maybe because the FDA last month told the NYT that McNeil "continues to have serious quality control issues at its plant and that it is not in compliance with current good manufacturing practices required by federal law."

Hmm. So maybe they shouldn't be allowed to produce anything ever again? Just a thought!

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