Over the years I became one of the many mothers across the country that grew to trust the TYLENOL® brand name. It was always the chosen brand when I was purchasing pain medications for my children; whether it was a common cold, a headache, or a fever. However, the series of recalls that Johnson & Johnson has had to undertake within the last two years regarding their TYLENOL products began to chip away at that trust. It seemed that quality control and safety were deteriorating from the brand that many mothers came to trust as the Gold standard for safety and quality within the industry.
Johnson & Johnson has once again earned my trust. Although some say they were slow to react initially, the company has made some admirable and noteworthy improvements to their Infants’ and children’s Tylenol products. I think the enhancements are excellent, and go a long way to ensure the safety of the all the infants and children who consume these products. In a letter from Ed Kuffner, MD, Vice President, Medical Affairs at Mcniel (the division which manufactures TYLENOL® products) he outlines the new product improvements and explain their dual effort to promote safety and convenience. Here are the details he explains in his letter about product improvements that they will be making as early as the upcoming cold season.
Infant’s TYLENOL® will be available with a new and enhanced bottle called SIMPLEMEASURE.
The bottle will have a protective opening and a new push-in-syringe which will help in three important ways. First, it will reduce the risk that children will be able to get to the medicine inside the bottle. Second, it will allow for better control when giving the medication and reduce spilling. It will also provide better accuracy regarding dosage and ease the administration of the proper dosage. The bottle for Children’s TYLENOL® will also be enhanced. It will also include a protective opening that is designed to make it more difficult for children to get to the medicine in the bottle. Mcniel is also encouraging other manufacturers of similar products to adopt these new safety and convenience innovations to improve overall quality in the industry.
They have also moved to standardize the concentration of acetaminophen for single ingredient Tylenol products for both infants and children. This means that there will be the same concentration of the active ingredient, acetaminophen in both children’s and Infant’s Tylenol. Standardizing dozing across products and age groups is another step to improve convenience and accuracy. However, their products will continue to include specially designed dosing devices applicable to the age of the child in both children’s and Infants’ Tylenol. For a certain time period both the new and currently available concentrations of Infant’s acetaminophen products will be available in stores, so parents should take note. I greatly appreciate the effort and improvements that Johnson & Johnson has made to enhance the safety and convenience of their Tylenol products. These are the efforts that made me love the brand in the first place and I’m sure will keep me a loyal customer in the future. In closing I will list some helpful tips that Dr. Kuffner disclosed in his letter regarding giving medicines to infants and children.
Simply remember to NURSE
Never give adult medicines to children.
Use the measuring device (syringe, dropper, dosage cup) that comes with the medicine every time you use it. Don’t use kitchen spoons (teaspoons or tablespoons).
Read and follow instructions on the label. Never give more than the recommended dose and do not give the medication more frequently than recommended.
Store all medicines out of the reach of children. Immediately following use, always restore the child resistant cap and put the medicine back into a high and out of sight location.
Every child grows. Know the infant’s or child’s weight and/or age to help determine the appropriate dosage
Be sure to Check out all the Tylenol products updates here:
*I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Tylenol and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.*
