DRUG SAFETY REFORM: Recall of CHILDREN’S MEDICINE prompts lawmakers to consider new authorities, resources for FDA

WHEN MCNEIL Consumer Healthcare, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, recalled more than 40 types of widely used children’s medicine on April 30, confidence in the safety of the U.S. drug supply took a nose dive. American consumers and members of Congress, already wary of the quality of imported medicine, began questioning whether drugs manufactured in the U.S. are any better than those made overseas. As J&J tries to rebuild its tarnished reputation and fix McNeil’s quality control problems, lawmakers in the House of Representatives are examining what went wrong and what can be done to prevent such problems in the future. At a hearing on May 27, members of the House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform questioned executives from J&J and the Food & Drug Administration, the federal agency responsible for ensuring the safety and effectiveness of drugs. Committee Chairman Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) stressed the need to know the health risks associated ...