The FDA is @#$%# pissed off at McNeil, the company that makes smelly, barfy Tylenol and other products, because apparently this problem has been going on since 2008.

The FDA says:

“When something smells bad, literally and figuratively, you aggressively investigate and solve the problem,” said Deborah Autor, director of FDA’s compliance office.

“The company should have acted faster,” Autor said. “All companies have a responsibility to ensure high quality, safety and effective of their products and protect consumers.”

The FDA says that the problem was first reported in early 2008, but they didn’t “identify an issue” until September of that year. In November, the first recall took place, then it was expanded in December.

“McNeil did not report the issue to us until a year later,” Karen Hirshfield, acting branch chief of the FDA’s Recalls and Shortages Branch, told reporters.

The FDA says that the problem has been traced to a chemical found in certain wooden pallets that come from a plant in Puerto Rico. They’re investigating to see if other drug manufacturers use these same pallets.

Tylenol recall: FDA slams company [CNN]

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