Phantom Recalls in Pharmaceuticals

When dangerous side effects are reported in pharmaceuticals, companies sometimes conduct a "phantom recall" by quietly hiring third parties to remove tainted products from stores before the FDA can mandate an official, public recall that might damage their reputation. This tactic was used by Johnson & Johnson in 2009 for defective Motrin IB and by Purdue Pharma, which downplayed early OxyContin abuse reports to avoid regulatory backlash.

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