While the drugstore signs that helpfully suggest “Try CVS/pharmacy brand” are intended to assist frustrated shoppers in identifying alternatives to missing brand-name products, they also serve as constant reminders of another of J.& J.’s continuing problems: It must persuade millions of disappointed customers to once again pay a premium for products that may no longer seem to be of any higher quality than the less expensive store brand.

via Will Johnson & Johnson Recalls Change the Firm’s Reputation? – NYTimes.com.

I buy the store brand all the time actually. I don’t only stop at drugs I’ll get the store brand laundry detergent or etc.

There’s also something to be said for government regulation, oversight and who controls Congress when it comes to matters such as these.

But the number and variety of problems have stirred concern among government officials and consumers that the McNeil unit has suffered from a systemic breakdown of its manufacturing procedures. Last May, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform opened an investigation into the recalls.

Somehow with the 112th Congress I don’t think we’ll be seeing much of this occurring.

This is rather pathetic. They paid people to go into stores and buy up product.

At the time, McNeil told the FDA that it was paying contractors to act as secret shoppers and buy up samples from between 4,500-5,000 stores, mostly gas stations and convenience stores. The company told the FDA about the plan, but the FDA says it was told that McNeil was only sampling from stores, and using secret shoppers to avoid confusing the public.

In reality, the shoppers had been instructed to buy all of the product, while pretending to be regular customers.

Lawsuits: J&J Has Paid Over $68.7 Million In Ortho Evra Lawsuits

Johnson & Johnson has paid out over $68.7 million in private settlements in Ortho Evra birth-control related claims. The Public Citizen’s Health Research Group is petitioning the FDA to take it off the market. The most common complaints among users of the contraceptive patch that adheres to the skin are blood clots in the legs, blood clots in the lungs, and hearts attacks/strokes. But hey, at least you don’t have a baby

Once again a corporation puts out a dangerous drug and probably knew that the drug was going to do something terrible.