Tylenol faces new PR headache as FDA takes over three plants

Seven people in the Chicago area were murdered in 1982 after consuming cyanide-laced Tylenol in a case that formed the basis of modern crisis communications. Now, parent company Johnson & Johnson is in the midst of another safety-related controversy.

The Food and Drug Administration has taken over three Tylenol plants after a flurry of drug recalls and factory investigations. If the Tylenol makers fail to comply with the FDA, they could face fines of up to $10 million annually, according to CNN.

Johnson & Johnson CEO William Weldon posted a statement Thursday on the company’s blog:

“We are a company that strives to do the right thing, and we succeed far more often than not. When we don’t succeed, it’s painful.

“By moving to resolve the FDA’s concerns about McNeil Consumer Healthcare US manufacturing facilities, we are able to look to the future and focus on what is most important to us: serving the millions of people around the world who rely on our products every day to meet their health care needs.”