Lawmakers launch investigation into Tylenol recall

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Lawmakers said Wednesday they have launched an investigation into the recent recall of Children's Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl and other over-the-counter drugs.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform said it will ask Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ, Fortune 500) drug manufacturing division, McNeil PPC, and the Food & Drug Adminstration to provide information on the recall to reveal what prompted the action and how severe the impact would be to children who may have taken the recalled medicines.

News reports highlighted conflicting accounts of the details of the recall, which was revealed through an inspection report the FDA released Tuesday that slammed conditions at McNeil's Fort Washington, Pa.-based factory.

The FDA's findings showed that McNeil bought contaminated raw material that tested positive for bacteria, which the agency later identified as Burkholderia cepacia. However, McNeil said its testing showed that the contamination did not reach its finished products.

Representatives for Johnson & Johnson and the FDA could not immediately be reached for comment.

Because the recent recall is the third to include Tylenol products this year, lawmakers are hoping the investigation will also shed light on the effectiveness of the FDA's inspection procedures and whether McNeil neglected to explore consumer complaints that could have identified the problem.

"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," committee chairman Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., and ranking member Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said in a statement.

The lawmakers expect a hearing to follow in the coming weeks.