Johnson & Johnson announces recall of anti-seizure drug

Customer complaints of an "uncharacteristic odor" prompted Johnson & Johnson to recall about 57,000 bottles of the prescription anti-seizure drug, Johnson & Johnson announced on Thursday.

The recall affects two lots of the Topamax 100 mg tablets made by the company's Ortho-McNeil Neurologics division, Johnson & Johnson said.

The drug was shipped and distributed between Oct. 19, 2010 and Dec. 28, 2010 in the United States and Puerto Rico.

There were four consumer complaints about an odor believed to be caused by trace amounts of the chemical TBA (2,4,6 tribromoanisole), which is applied to wooden pallets used to transport and store packaging materials, Johnson & Johnson said.

The recall is not expected to lead to a product shortage at the market, Ortho-McNeil Neurologics said.

Similar complaints of a moldy, musty odor have led to the recalls of millions of bottles of Tylenol, Motrin and Benadryl products earlier.

Last month, the U.S. government said it was taking over three Tylenol plants operated by McNeil, and the Food and Drug Administration launched a criminal investigation into safety issues at the factories, CNN reported.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet