Personal Injury Law

Children's Tylenol Recall prompts Congressional Committee Investigation

By LaBovick Law

In response to the circumstances surrounding McNeil Consumer Healthcare's (McNeil) voluntary recall of multiple well-known pediatric medicines including Children's Tylenol, the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform opened an investigation into the matter. Reuters reports that the Congressional committee is looking into whether McNeil, a unit of Johnson & Johnson, 'failed to investigate consumer complaints that could have identified the contamination problems.'

The committee also plans to scrutinize the adequacy and performance of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) inspection process following a routine inspection of McNeil's Fort Washington, Pa. facility in April in which federal health officials found contamination, grime, thick dust and quality control violations.

Committee Chairman Edolphus Towns, a New York Democrat, and the panel's ranking Republican, Darrell Issa of California, had this to say about the committee's investigation in a jointly filed news release:

'We are deeply concerned about the recall of popular pediatric medications widely used by infants and children across the country. When a recall of this nature occurs, it is our responsibility to bring attention to the issue as a public service and to fulfill our oversight responsibility by asking tough questions about the conditions of the manufacturing plant and controls put in place by the drug company's management, and about whether FDA's inspection and recall procedures were sufficient.'

Towns and Issa also noted in the news release that it is important to investigate the circumstances surrounding the recall due to the potentially adverse effects the products could have on children. According to the Washington Post, the recall affects an estimated 70 percent of the market for over-the-counter pediatric liquid medicines.

Towns, Issa Announce Investigation into Recall of Popular Pediatric Medication – Committee on Oversight and Government Reform's News Release about the Investigation

House committee will look into recall of children's drugs after Tylenol recall – The Washington Post

Congress probing J&J Children's Tylenol recall – Reuters

Full post as published by LaBovick Injury Law Blog on May 06, 2010 (boomark / email).