Tylenol Recall 2010, Children Medicine Recall 2010, House Committee Launches Probe
The leaders of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Edolphus Towns and Darrell Issa today made a joint statement saying a congressional committee has launched an investigation into the problems that led to children's and infants' Tylenol recall and other over-the-counter pediatric medicines' recall.
The lawmakers added that the committee would scrutinize the performances of both the drugmaker and federal regulators.
Towns and Issa noted that they are worried over the massive recall because it has affected an around 70 percent of the market for over-the-counter medicines including brand names as Motrin, Benadryl and Zyrtec, in addition to Tylenol. The duo pledged to ask "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." It is expected that the congressional committee will start hearings in the coming weeks.
The investigation has been launched a day after the Food and Drug Administration released report highlighting quality control problems at the Pennsylvania plant where the recalled medicines were manufactured by McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a division of Johnson & Johnson. The report was prepared by the federal inspectors who visited the plant.
The FDA began its "routine inspection" of the McNeil facility on April 19 and the FDA officials identified defects in quality-control methods and manufacturing processes of these medicines. On May 7, McNeil announced a voluntary recall of 43 types of Tylenol and other drugs made at the facility. The company also announced to suspend operations at the plant indefinitely.
