Pharmaceutical manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, which for decades has enjoyed a trusted reputation for soothing babies and overcoming head colds, is currently facing criminal investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The company’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit closed a facility in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, this summer after the FDA cited multiple manufacturing violations there. Millions of Tylenol, Motrin, and Benadryl formulas have been recalled, and Johnson & Johnson CEO William Weldon has faced two congressional hearings about it. Where, in all this mayhem, are the company’s quality control people? Have they succumbed from sampling too many defective products?

It’s tempting to get clever at J&J’s expense, and many articles and blogs have given in to the urge. “Just when you think it’s safe to return to the drugstore,” “J&J heartburn worsens as Mylanta joins recall list,” and “Make them do the perp walk!” are a small sampling. But for anyone in the quality industry, smiles can quickly become strained. Such blatant oversights on the part of a high-profile company in a high-trust industry are, well, sickening.

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