In the past two years, Weldon faced massive recalls of products, from artificial hips to children's Tylenol, that challenged his leadership and hurt J&J's reputation as a provider of high-quality products.
Below is a timeline of some of the major recalls:
Feb 17, 2012
Products: 574,000 bottles of the grape-flavored Tylenol
Problem: flaws in a new bottle design
Jan 27, 2012
Products: 2,000 tubes of Aveeno Baby Calming Comfort Lotion
Problem: excessive levels of bacteria in a product sample
Dec 21, 2011
Products: 12 million bottles of Motrin pain relievers
Problem: caplets may dissolve too slowly, delaying pain relief
Sept 23, 2011
Products: Two batches of Eprex anemia drug in 17 countries
Problem: inconsistent potency
April 14, 2011
Products: 57,000 bottles of epilepsy drug, Topamax
Problem: foul odor
March 29, 2011
Products: 700,000 bottles of Tylenol and other consumer medicines
Problem: musty or moldy odor
March 8, 2011
Products: five lots of insulin pump cartridges
Problem: potential leaks
March 2, 2011:
Products: 107 batches of surgical sutures (recalled in December)
Problem: potential sterility problems
Feb 11, 2011:
Products: 70,000 syringes filled with the antipsychotic drug Invega
Problem: cracks in the syringes
Jan 14, 2011:
Products: 50 million bottles and packages of various kinds of Tylenol, Benadryl, Rolaids and other consumer products
Problem: lax cleaning procedures at manufacturing plant
Dec 9, 2010:
Products: All lots of Softchews Rolaids antacids
Problem: wood and metal bits in the tablets
Dec 2, 2010:
Products: 12 million bottles of Mylanta and almost 85,000 bottles of AlternaGel liquid antacid
Problem: small amounts of alcohol from flavoring agents was not noted on product packaging
Dec 1, 2010:
Products: 492,000 boxes of 1 Day Acuvue TruEye contact lenses
Problem: consumer complaints of stinging pain
Nov 24, 2010:
Products: 9 million bottles of Tylenol
Problem: inadequate warning of trace amounts of alcohol used in the product flavorings
October 18, 2010:
Products: 1 lot of adult Tylenol caplets
Problem: musty or moldy odor
July 8, 2010:
Products: Twenty-one lots of Tylenol for children and adults, several forms of Benadryl and Motrin sold in the United States, Fiji, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica in expansion of Jan 15 recall. The company has said this action affected 2.5 million bottles of medicines.
Problem: musty or moldy odor detected in earlier recall.
June 15, 2010:
Products: Four lots of Benadryl and Extra Strength Tylenol gels sold in the United States, Trinidad and Tobago, Bermuda and Puerto Rico in expansion of January 15 recall. The company has said 500,000 bottles were affected.
Problem: musty or moldy odor detected in earlier recall.
April 30, 2010:
Products: Forty products including liquid infant and children's pain relievers, Tylenol, and Motrin and allergy medications Zyrtec and Benadryl. About 135 million bottles were affected, according to congressional investigators.
Problem: Manufacturing deficiencies that may have affected the quality, purity or potency of the medicines.
Jan 15, 2010:
Products: Fifty-three million bottles of over-the-counter products including Tylenol, Motrin and Rolaids, Benadryl and St. Joseph's Aspirin, involving lots in the Americas, the United Arab Emirates and Fiji.
Problem: Unusual moldy, musty or mildew-like odor linked to chemical in wood pallets used to store and ship products.
Dec 2009:
Product: Expands November recall of Tylenol Arthritis Pain Caplets
Problem: Consumer reports of unusual moldy odor with the 100-count bottles.
Nov 2009:
Product: Five lots of Tylenol Arthritis Pain Caplets
Problem: Reports of an unusual musty or mildew-like odor that was associated with nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea.
Sept 2009:
Products: Some lots of infants' and children's Tylenol
Problem: Possible bacterial contamination
July 2009:
Product: Motrin tablets sold mostly at convenience stores. The recall is the subject of a congressional probe into what some Democratic lawmakers say was a stealthy effort to buy back the drug rather than recall it. J&J has said FDA knew of their actions, while FDA has said as soon as it found out, it sought a recall.
Problem: Problems with dissolving
(Compiled by Anand Basu in Bangalore)