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Congress probing J&J Children's Tylenol recall


    NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. congressional committee is investigating Johnson & Johnson's recent recall of Children's Tylenol and other over-the-counter pediatric medicines.

    The House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform opened the investigation after J&J took 40 widely-used children's pain and allergy medications off the market, saying some may have a higher concentration of their active ingredients while others may be contaminated.

    The lawmakers are questioning the adequacy of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's inspection procedures and whether J&J's McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit failed to investigate consumer complaints that could have identified the contamination problems, according to a committee press release.

    The panel expects to hold a hearing "in the coming weeks."

    "We are deeply concerned about the recall of popular pediatric medications widely used by infants and children across the country," Committee Chairman Edolphus Towns, a New York Democrat, and the panel's ranking Republican, Darrell Issa of California, said in the release.

    The FDA issued a damning report on Tuesday, saying inspectors found thick dust, grime and contaminated ingredients at the J&J plant that produces Children's Tylenol and dozens of other products recalled last week.

    (Reporting by Lewis Krauskopf; editing by John Wallace)