Ex Birth Control Patch Exec Fired

A former vice president at two Johnson & Johnson subsidiaries claims in a lawsuit he was fired for seeking recalls of numerous faulty products, including the Ortho Evra birth-control patch, which is the subject of at least 1,000 product liability suits.

New Brunswick-based Johnson & Johnson, one of the world's biggest drug and medical product makers, said the ex-executive was fired for inappropriate conduct.

In his civil complaint, he alleges that he was unlawfully terminated on May 15, after working for Johnson & Johnson for 15 years, because he repeatedly complained about product safety problems and urged several be recalled such as the birth control patch or other products not to be launched.