J&J Unit: Sees No Suppliers Before Year End For Most Products Of Pa. Plant

   DOW JONES NEWSWIRES 
 

A Johnson & Johnson unit said Thursday that it doesn't expect to have suppliers before the end of this year for most of the products made at its plant in Fort Washington, Pa., where production has been suspended.

Operations of McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a division of McNeil-PPC Inc., were suspended at that plant in connection with recent recalls of popular over-the-counter medicines like Benadryl and Tylenolrecent for infants and children because of quality-control issues. The suspension also affected production of adult over-the-counter products there.

The recalls aren't expected to be financially devastating to the health-care giant, but they have marred J&J's image.

The company previously said it is assessing all its manufacturing operations and has identified changes to be made before manufacturing resumes at the Fort Washington plant. No date is set for production to resume there.

Average annual sales of the products made at that plant during the past three years were about $650 million.

J&J's shares were at $59.65, up 5 cents, in after-hours trading. The stock, which recently traded under $58 for the first time in a year, has performed worse than other major drug makers during the past month as concerns linger over the recalls.

-By Kathy Shwiff, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2357; [e-mail]