Medicines Mailed in Sesame Street-Decorated Envelopes

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating the mailing of over-the-counter drug samples in envelopes designed with Sesame Street characters, following complaints from parents.

“We definitely plan on looking into this,” Michael Bogumill, a compliance officer with the commission, said Friday. “Even if it’s not illegal, it’s stupid for people to send adult medicine in a package that’s designed for children.”

More than 5 million envelopes, of which 2 million contained a sample of Tavist D cold medication, were mailed in September and October in 13 states throughout the Midwest and California by Madison Direct Marketing, a Connecticut-based marketing firm.

Officials with the Children’s Television Workshop, which produces Sesame Street, said they have been getting complaints from the Boston, Cincinnati and Los Angeles areas.

“We did approve the Sesame Street materials, but at no time were we aware product samples would be included,” said Ellen Morgenstern, a spokeswoman for the Children’s Television Workshop. “We strongly encourage any parents who receive a mailing featuring Sesame Street characters on the envelope to keep these materials away from young children.”

Officials with Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corp., the New Jersey-based producers of Tavist D, said they also had no idea their product would be put in an envelope featuring Sesame Street characters.

Sandoz officials said they followed non-prescription drug industry standards for encasing the samples in child-proof containers and have not received any reports of children opening the packets, said spokesman Bill O’Donnell.

“The medication is encased in a blister pack which is then sealed in a foil packet that is specifically designed to make it more difficult for children to open,” O’Donnell said. But, he said, “We are taking our own responsibility for ensuring this response never arises again. If we ever do this again, Sandoz will make sure that the outside packaging is appropriate.”

Kimber Fovell of Corona, who received the mailing Thursday, said she will always remember seeing her 3-year-old son trying to open the drug sample.

“The packaging looked like it was for children,” Fovell said. “He’s always been allowed to open mail with characters on it, so I told him to open it in his room. A few minutes later, he comes out and says, ‘Mommy, can you help me open this?’ It was a package of Tavist D. He had full access to his blunt scissors and he could have opened it up himself. I was terrified. If he hadn’t brought it to me, he could have easily opened it up and ingested it.”

Officials at Madison Direct Marketing said this is the first time in their 11-year history that something like this has happened.

“We were just trying to deliver the market,” said Bruce Gold, executive vice president of the firm. “With the benefit of hindsight, there is a concern whether we present it in this way again.”