A Reuters report that Johnson & Johnson knew for decades that its baby powder contained cancer-causing asbestos has stirred up a hornet's nest in India. A team of 100 drug inspectors has been assigned the task of examining the Johnson & Johnson manufacturing facilities, and its wholesale and retail outlets in the country. Samples of all brands of the powder are being collected from across the country to be sent for testing at the Central Drug Laboratory.
The swift action followed after a high-level meeting at the health ministry on late Tuesday evening.
"Today, a few of our facilities were visited by the CDSCO and local FDA authorities and we are fully co - operating with them by providing tests and samples. The characterization of these visits as 'raids' or 'seizures' is incorrect as has been reported in some instances. The tests have been conducted in the regular way that the FDA collects samples," a company spokesperson said.
"It is important to understand that the safety of cosmetic talc is based on a long history of safe use and decades of research and clinical evidence by independent researchers and scientific review boards across the world. In the past authorities in India like the FDAs and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) have confirmed that our products comply with Indian standards and are free of asbestos," he said.
An investigation conducted by Reuters, which involved examining thousands of documents and trial testimony, claimed the company was aware that its raw talc and finished powders sometimes contained traces of asbestos. The company officials looked at ways to address it but shielded it from the regulators and the public, the report said.
Earlier, Johnson & Johnson issued a statement claiming that the Reuters report ''ignores that thousands of tests by J&J, regulators, leading independent labs and academic institutions have repeatedly shown that our talc does not contain asbestos.''
The company dubbed the report as ''one-sided, false and inflammatory".
''Johnson and Johnson's baby powder is safe and asbestos-free. Studies of more than 1,00,000 men and women show that the talc does not cause cancer or asbestos-related disease,'' it said.
''The article ignores that Johnson and Johnson has cooperated fully and openly with the US Food and Drug Administration and other global regulators, providing them with all the information they requested over decades. We have also made our cosmetic talc mines and processed talc available to regulators for testing. Regulators have tested both, and they have always found our talc to be asbestos-free,” it added.
Johnson & Johnson was embroiled in a controversy in July this year when 22 women suffering from ovarian cancer filed a lawsuit against the company, saying their disease was caused by the use of its powder for feminine hygiene. The company was ordered to pay $4.7 billion in the case.
The US-based pharmaceutical giant was recently ordered to pay compensation of up to Rs 1.2 crore to its hip implant patients in India as well. The hip implants it supplied were found to be faulty.
