The Johnson & Johnson Tylenol Controversies

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Excerpts

Tylenol received a major setback in late 1982 when it was found that many bottles of Tylenol extra strength capsules were laced with cyanide. The publicity about the poisoned capsules caused a nationwide panic.A hospital in Chicago received 700 telephone calls about Tylenol in just one day. People in cities across the US were admitted to hospitals on suspicion of cyanide poisoning. Within the first 10 days of the crisis, J&J received 1,411 telephone calls. J&J acted immediately after the first reports of deaths came in.The company immediately alerted consumers across the US, via the media, not to consume any type of Tylenol product. The police drove through Chicago where the incidents were first reported, announcing the warning over loudspeakers, while all the three national television networks reported the deaths on their evening news broadcasts...

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In 1989, J&J faced yet another problem when deaths occured due to Tylenol overdoses. In 1989, five-year-old Lacy Keele died after being given four extra strength Tylenol tablets in one day twice what she should have taken. In early 1990s, fourteen-month-old Sophie Regosin-Hodges was given an overdose of Tylenol, which severely damaged her liver. As per the pediatrician's advice, Sophie was given infant Tylenol drops.

While Coke faced a lot of criticism from health experts and public agencies for targeting school children during 1998-1999, the company received a major setback during the European crisis in which school children were the major victims. After the crisis, Coke investigated the problem by testing the suspect batches for chemicals. The company claimed that the tests showed nothing toxic in the beverages. However, to explain the whole crisis, Philippe Lenfant, general manager of Coke Belgium, said that there had been separate errors at two plants...

Exhibit I: Comparitive Study: Aspirin, Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen
Exhibit II: Tylenol's Product Line
Exhibit III: J&J's Product Segments
Exhibit IV: J&J's 'Our Credo'
Exhibit V: Brands of Pain Killers Containing Acetaminophen
Exhibit VI: Harmful Effects of Overdose of Acetaminophen and Other Analgesics