BOSTON — Members of the state’s legislature delegation are pressing Johnson & Johnson for much details astir a nationwide shortage of babe and children’s Tylenol and Motrin that inactive has parents scrambling to find the medicines.
In a caller letter to J&J Chairman Joaquin Duato, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Katherine Clark, Lori Trahan and Ayanna Pressley called connected the cause shaper to supply much accusation astir the “scope and scale” of the shortages and erstwhile communities volition spot much products connected store shelves.
“This is pertinent not lone for addressing the infinitesimal astatine manus but besides for efficaciously moving with manufacture successful concern with the FDA to guarantee this situation does not repetition itself during the adjacent acold and flu season,” the lawmakers wrote.
An progressive flu season, coupled with a spike successful COVID-19, respiratory syncytial microorganism and different respiratory illnesses, created a surge successful request for symptom reducers and fever relievers and different over-the-counter medicines.
The shortages prompted Walgreens and CVS Health to acceptable restrictions of purchases of Children’s Tylenol and different nonprescription medicines, citing proviso concatenation issues.
In a statement, the Food and Drug Administration pointed retired that it cannot necessitate companies to marque much medications but said “the nationalist should remainder assured” that it is moving intimately with cause makers to “understand, mitigate and forestall oregon trim the interaction of intermittent oregon accrued request of definite products.”
Earlier this month, Warren and different lawmakers wrote to J&J demanding answers astir the deficiency of pediatric medicines and seeking details astir what the institution was doing to alleviate the shortages.
In response, Johnson & Johnson said the “tripledemic” led to “unprecedented demand” for symptom relievers, fever reducers and different acold and flu products. The institution said its accumulation facilities person been “running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week” since April.
“We instrumentality this substance precise earnestly and stock your interest that parents, families, and caregivers – and astir of each infants and children – whitethorn not person acceptable entree to the products they need,” Kathy Widmer, J&J’s president for North America, wrote successful the company’s response.
The institution noted that “recent epidemiological insights” showed a alteration successful incidences of fever, which “should beryllium a affirmative improvement for aboriginal retail inventory recovery.”
But the legislature lawmakers said the institution has not yet provided information connected the “regional and city-by-city impact” of the medicine shortages, “nor did it supply a day by which mean availability of merchandise successful Massachusetts beryllium restored.”
The lawmakers gave the institution until Friday to respond to the petition for further information.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him astatine cwade@cnhinews.com.
English (US)