Washington, DC--Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) met today with McNeil Consumer Healthcare President Peter Luther and other executives regarding last month’s recall of tainted children’s medications.  These included 43 total recalled products such as infants and children’s liquid Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec and Benadryl.  Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) is a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health.

“I made it clear to the executives that knowingly or unknowingly selling tainted products to be consumed by children is simply unacceptable.  This latest recall of children’s medicine was the largest in the history of the Food and Drug Administration.  It has been part of a pattern of violations in product quality control which has led to six recalls in one year.

“I wanted to know how they could let this happen.  Not only is it poor business practices, but it endangers children, which to me, as a father of three, is reprehensible.  They assured me that they are doing everything possible to correct the problem and to prevent any further recalls.  I told them that we were all very lucky that it appears to have been a narrowly averted disaster this time.  However, we cannot ever have a next time, and that while I was pleased they came to meet me face to face to discuss the problem, I await their response and remediation plan which they agreed to provide.”

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