Baby powder’s sale by Johnson & Johnson is prohibited till further notice on November 30, Bombay HC orders. Based on the reports of Central Drug Laboratory in Kolkata, which found that the baby powder contains higher pH than that is prescribed, Maharashtra government based its order.
The order was passed by the Food and Drug Administration(FDA) under the bench of Justice S Gangapurwala and SG Dige on Wednesday. FDA was told to collect fresh samples from the companies factory based in Mulund area, Mumbai within three days. The next gearing will be held on 30th November.
The bench said that the petitioner is for now prohibited from selling or distributing the baby powder by the government and the company shall too abide by this. But still if the company wants to manufacture, it can manufacture at its own risk.
As demand falls, Johnson & Johnson sells its largest manufacturing plant in Telangana: Bombay HC orders to prohibit the sale of baby powder by Johnson & JohnsonBaby powder’s Case context-
Johnson & Johnson launched its baby talc in 1894, whose purpose was to eliminate diaper rashes. Until the 1990s, the company faced several lawsuits regarding the presence of asbestos in the talc. A carcinogenic mineral, asbestos, was found in the talc deposits, a FDA report.
Asbestos is generally used for construction purposes, and because of its carcinogenic property, if applied in the genital areas it can cause ovarian cancer.
Darlene Coker, 52 years old, was the first whose lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson 20 years ago, alleged that she had mesothelioma from the talc. Investigations done by Reuters and New York Times revealed that the company was aware of this information but chose to not disclose it.
WHAT WAS THE COMPANY’S STAND?
Johnson & Johnson denied the claim that the talc contained any asbestos, and as the case moved forward they even refused to submit the internal tests and reports, which left no choice for Choker but to drop her lawsuit.
Later in 2020, Johnson & Johnson hailed its sales in Canada and USA. Recently in August 2022, Johnson & Johnson announced to cease their sale worldwide after a month ago, the Maharashtra government cancelled its license and ordered the company to stop its manufacturing and sale in the state.
