Johnson & Johnson recalls Topamax over "foul odor"

Johnson & Johnson took a beating last year as it issued recalls for its over-the-counter medications after consumers complained of finding metal and other substances in the company's products. The consumer products giant paid a large fee in fines, but has come under fire again this week for its latest recall.

U.S. News reports that J&J recalled 60,000 bottles of its epilepsy drug Topamax on Thursday following consumer complaints of a foul odor emanating from the medicine. Last year, consumers voiced similar complaints against some of the company's medicines. According to the company, it received four separate reports about the odor, which is believed to be caused by the chemical TBA, tribromoanisole.

TBA is not considered toxic and is a byproduct of a preservative applied to shipping pallets, according to the company. Though no serious health problems have resulted from the presence of the chemical, J&J has recalled the medications as TBA can cause temporary gastrointestinal symptoms in some people.

Topamax is used to treat both epilepsy, a seizure disorder, and migraine headaches. In the past year and a half, J&J has recalled over 300 million bottles and packages of its medication products following consumer complaints.