McNeil Consumer Healthcare

McNeil Consumer Healthcare is a pharmaceutical company and a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. It was founded in 1879 by Robert McNeil, who was a pharmacist. The company is known for producing over-the-counter medicines and healthcare products.

History

Robert McNeil established the company in 1879. In 1904, his son, Robert Lincoln McNeil, joined the company and they renamed it to McNeil Laboratories in 1933. The company introduced Tylenol Elixir for children in 1949, which was the first product to contain acetaminophen in the United States.

In 1959, McNeil Laboratories was acquired by Johnson & Johnson. After the acquisition, the company was renamed to McNeil Consumer Healthcare. The company continued to expand its product line with the introduction of Tylenol for adults in 1955 and Motrin IB in 1974.

Products

McNeil Consumer Healthcare produces a wide range of over-the-counter medicines and healthcare products. Some of their most popular products include Tylenol, Motrin IB, Zyrtec, Benadryl, and Pepcid. These products are used to treat a variety of conditions such as pain, fever, allergies, and heartburn.

Controversies

In 2010, McNeil Consumer Healthcare faced a major controversy when it had to recall over 136 million bottles of liquid Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec, and Benadryl for children and infants. The recall was due to manufacturing deficiencies which potentially affected the quality, purity, and potency of the products.

See Also

• Johnson & Johnson
• Pharmaceutical industry
• Over-the-counter drug