Johnson & Johnson issued a recall in Europe for the Lonsys pain treatment device, adding to the mounting concerns about Johnson & Johnson's ability to develop profitable new products.

Johnson & Johnson, recalled all 13,000 Lonsys pain treatment devices it sold in the United Kingdom, Germany and other European countries. The recalls were initiated since the start of the year following a routine safety check that revealed a defect in one lot. Spokeswoman Gloria Vanderham said the recall was "voluntary and precautionary" and initiated while Johnson & Johnson works to determine the cause of the defect. Vanderham claims that Johnson & Johnson is not aware of any injuries as a result of the device's defect.

The Lonsys is a small device that is attached to a hospital patient's upper arm or chest to deliver the pain medication fenanyl to patients experiencing post-surgical pain. The Lonsys uses a low-intensity electrical field to deliver the drug. When it was first implemented, Lonsys was seen as innovative in the field of pain relief and was also seen as bonus in Johnson & Johnson's acquisition of the specialty drug maker Alza Corporation back in 2001.

Lonsys was marketed as a replacement for the popular Duragesic pain patch, which is another fentanyl-based pain product that lost its patent protection in 2005. Most recently, in February 2008, Johnson & Johnson recalled a version of the Duragesic patch over manufacturing issues. Apparently, the Duragesic patch could lead to patients receiving too much or too little medicine. Also, Johnson & Johnson is currently facing lawsuits that allege injury from the Duragesic patch.

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