Massachusetts Democrats ask J&J for answers on children’s medicine shortage

A group of Massachusetts Democrats on Thursday demanded answers from Johnson & Johnson regarding the shortages of children’s Tylenol and Motrin amid the current respiratory viral season, wanting to know when the medicines’ availability will return to normal.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Democratic Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Katherine Clark and Lori Trahan, issued their letter to Joaquin Duato, CEO and chairman of the board for Johnson & Johnson.

“Our constituents across Massachusetts are experiencing a shortage of infant and children’s Tylenol and Motrin products as this challenging cold and flu season rages on, compounded by a surge of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19,” they wrote.

Tylenol and Motrin are both over-the-counter medications commonly used as pain relievers and fever reducers, sold as brand name versions of ibuprofen and acetaminophen respectively.

Demand for these medicines has gone up in recent weeks as parents deal with the ongoing flu season, which came earlier than usual this year, as well as the surge in RSV cases. Cases and hospitalizations for both viruses appear to declining, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In response to the rising demand, many pharmacies placed limits on the amount of the medicines that customers could buy at once.

“While medical providers are doing their best to triage in-person care and provide guidance on at-home remedies for monitoring and treatment, there is no doubt that these medicines are essential,” said the lawmakers.

On both the websites for Tylenol and Motrin, Johnson & Johnson states it continues to experience “high consumer demand driven by an extremely challenging cold & flu season.” While acknowledging that customers are having difficulty finding their products in-store, the company said it is “not experiencing widespread shortages” of either medicines.

The lawmakers in their letter demanded to know when the company became aware of the medicine shortages, how much production has increased and when availability is expected to return to normal. They also requested available “regional and city-by-city” data on the shortage.

The Hill has reached out to Johnson & Johnson for comment.