The Recall Desk
HighCPSC·77059·Announced 1977-06-07

Bristol Myers Excedrin Tablets Recalled for Child-Resistant Packaging Failures

Bristol Myers is substituting Excedrin analgesic tablets because packages failed to meet federal child-resistant regulations. The recall covers 225 and 375 tablet sizes distributed nationwide prior to April 1977.

What this means for you

Real risk of harm even if no illness or injury has been reported yet. Stop using the product and follow the agency's guidance.

Our severity reasoning: The recall addresses a risk-of-harm product (medication) where the packaging failed to meet child-resistant safety regulations, creating a potential poisoning hazard, although no injuries or illnesses were reported in the source text.

Plain-English summary

Bristol Myers Products, a division of Bristol Myers Company, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a product substitution for Excedrin analgesic tablets. The action involves the 225 tablet and 375 tablet package sizes that were distributed nationwide prior to April 1977. CPSC testing determined that these specific packages failed to comply with Federal regulations requiring them to be child-resistant.

The product substitution covers warehouse inventories of major wholesale and retail customers handling approximately 81% of the merchandise. Existing inventories are being retrieved and replaced with upgraded packages that Bristol Myers tested to ensure CPSC compliance. The substitution involves approximately 150,000 packages and was scheduled to be completed by the middle of June 1977. These two package sizes represent less than 3% of Excedrin analgesic annual unit sales volume.

Bristol Myers has improved its packaging for these sizes and expanded its quality control program to reduce the likelihood of similar situations arising in the future. The source text notes that this program is not a substitute for any legal action which may be deemed necessary by CPSC. No injuries or illnesses were reported in the source text.

The recalled product

Product
Bristol Myers Excedrin
Manufacturer
Excedrin
Category
Drug — Analgesic
Hazard

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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