Johnson powder may cause cancer! Govt. bans production

December 22: India’s drug regulator, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has ordered Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to stop manufacturing its baby powder using raw materials in two of its Indian factories until test results prove they are free of asbestos.

The visits came as the CDSCO and state-based food and drug administrations launched an investigation into J&J’s Baby Powder following a Reuters report last Friday that the firm knew for decades that cancer-causing asbestos could be found in the product. J&J has described the Reuters article as “one-sided, false and inflammatory”. The company said they were “fully cooperating” with the CDSCO by providing tests and samples, and asserted that the characterisation of these visits as “raids or seizures was incorrect”.

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has ordered Johnson and Johnson not to use talc raw material from its Mulund plant in Mumbai and Baddi unit in Himachal Pradesh for any production till further directions. On the directions of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), drug inspectors collected samples of Johnson and Johnson’s baby powder from both plants on Wednesday, amid reports that the product allegedly contained cancer-causing asbestos. NDTV reported that a team of 100 drug inspectors have been deployed for this purpose. The collected samples will be tested at the Central Drug Testing Laboratory.

On behalf of the company, it was stated that “We unequivocally stand by the safety of our products, which are fully compliant with regulatory standards and requirements in India. We will continue to work with the regulatory authorities.”

The company started selling its Baby Powder in the country in 1948, just a year after the country won independence from the British. Presenting gift boxes containing the product and others aimed at newborns is almost a family ritual in this country of 1.3 billion people, 28 per cent of whom are aged between 0-14.

The problem of J&J has increased following a similar stringent order by the Government of Bangladesh. On Friday, Bangladesh government too have decided to collect sample of J&J powder and send it for testing.