J & J to Add Alcohol Warning to Motrin Label

Johnson & Johnson said it will add a warning about alcohol use to the label for its painkiller Motrin and modify the painkiller Tylenol’s label, which already warns about complications when used in conjunction with alcohol. The revised labels meet recent proposals from the Food and Drug Administration, said New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson, the world’s fifth-biggest drug maker, according to IMS Health Inc., a health-care industry research firm. The Motrin label will advise people who drink three or more alcoholic beverages a day to check with doctors about taking Motrin or other pain relievers. The drugs may increase risk of stomach bleeding in heavy drinkers. The Tylenol label, which already warns about alcohol use, will add that chronic heavy alcohol users may risk liver damage by exceeding the recommended dosage. Johnson & Johnson shares fell $1.50 to close at $73.06 on the New York Stock Exchange.