J&J Goes overboard

The quality and safety violations that led to the shutdown of a Tylenol plant were extremely serious, and could lead to tough action by regulators on drugmaker Johnson & Johnson.


 
"This inspection report is pretty close to being the worst I've seen. It suggests that basically the FDA found an issue with almost every system at the plant," said Lebo, who had previously worked for Johnson & Johnson's pharmaceutical sourcing group in 2002. Lebo said he left that job after nine months because the work required too much travel.


The report also said that McNeil failed to follow up on 46 consumer complaints received from June 2009 to April 2010 "regarding foreign materials, black or dark specks." Neither the FDA nor Johnson & Johnson would provide more details about the complaints.


I'm really dissapointed. I can't believe that J&J actually ignored those complaints and moved on like it wasn't their fault. In business, follow-ups are of paramount importance, if not the sine qua non of business. You have to listen and follow up on various issues to find the link between various issues.


One problem can't be solved unless the root of the problem is found. If you just leave it dangling there, it will naturally be exacerbated along the way and as time pass, it will spell deep troubles for the company.


Also, this is definitely not the first scandal surrounding the product, Tylenol. In fact, it has been way too many times where J&J is actually recalling that product.


The very first time occured back in the 1980s and J&J was ironically famous after that incident for they handled it impeccably. They managed to gain back the trust of their customers and eventually they made it big.


However, it is an unconscionable mistake to take the consumers' trust for granted. As the old adage goes, "Once bitten, twice shy." Just count the number of times the product, Tylenol has been recalled. Naturally the trust level of the consumers towards the product has plummeted.


If J&J is found to be guilty for all the safety breaches, it might spell real doom for the company. The other healthcare companies will tend to be fractious during this period. When you are down, people will exploit the opportunity to bring you down altogether.


Credits -marketwatch