Pharmacy

Tylenol extra strength caplets became the latest in a long succession of Johnson & Johnson products to be  taken off the shelves after complaints of the pills' 'musty odour'.

According to McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the US pharma giant recalled 60,912 bottles of the drug after customers criticized the product's scent, comparing it to that of mold. The odour has been linked to the presence of trace  amounts of a chemical known as 2,4,6-  (TBA), by-product of a preservative sometimes used on wooden shipping pallets.

McNeil insist the move was based on only a 'small number* of complaints and added, "This voluntary action is being taken as a precaution and the risk of adverse medical events is remote."

However, experts are now pondering the safety of purchasing over-the-counter medicines from the J&J brand.