Manufacturers are tasked with creating products that meet the needs of the consumer. When it comes to medications, New Jersey consumers with children depend on these manufacturers to ensure that their products are made with the utmost emphasis on safety. Recently, the Consumer Product Safety Commission released a recall on several Triaminic and Theraflu products after problems were discovered with the child-resistant caps. Novartis Consumer Health, the manufacturer, voluntarily recalled the defective product.
According to reports, the recall is the result of an investigation into the problem with the caps. A consumer complaint was sent to Novartis in November. Federal law mandates that medications containing acetaminophen and diaphenhydramine must be packaged with child-resistant measures.
So far, 24 products have been recalled, including 142 lots of Triaminic Syrups and 41 lots of Theraflu Warming Syrups. Reports state that the recalled products were distributed between May 2010 and December 2011. So far, there have been 12 reports of children being able to unscrew the child-resistant caps. Four children ingested the product, according to reports, with one receiving medical attention.
With medications often being flavored, children are sometimes inclined to ingest them. Because of this, manufacturers must work diligently and consistently to ensure that proper labeling and packaging is in place. It only takes one defective product to cause poisoning or illness. New Jersey parents who believe that their child has fallen ill due to ingesting these recalled products may benefit from investigating their rights under New Jersey’s products liability laws to determine what their options may be to recover damages.
Source: cnn.com, “Some Triaminic and Theraflu products recalled,” Saundra Young, Jan. 31, 2013
