Johnson & Johnson and Sanofi Get BURNED

Today U.S. regulators warn that Johnson & Johnson’s (NYSE:JNJ) Bengay and Sanofi’s (NYSE:SNY) Icy Hot have been linked to 43 cases of chemical burns.

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The Food and Drug Administration said in a safety announcement on its website that the over-the-counter pain-relieving creams and patches have caused a range of first- to third-degree burns on application site, some of which required hospitalization.  The agency noted that products containing menthol as the active ingredient, or a combination of menthol and methyl salicylate were most often responsible for the swelling and blistering experienced by some patients.  The cases were uncovered by FDA scientists during safety surveillance of its adverse event reporting system and medical literature.

“When applied to the skin, the products produce a local sensation of warmth or coolness; they should not cause pain or skin damage,” the FDA said in the announcement.

The announcement by the FDA comes as Johnson & Johnson attempts to leave behind a succession of product recalls, manufacturing problems, and government inquiries that have troubled the company in recent years.

No comment has been made, but the company’s stock trades at $68.50, close to its decade high.

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