The Indian state of Maharashtra on Friday revoked Johnson & Johnson’s production licence, more than a month after the pharmaceutical company announced that it will stop selling its talc-based baby powder globally in 2023. According to reports, the state’s Food & Drug Administration (FDA) revoked the company’s authorization to produce baby powder after discovering subpar quality during an inspection. The agency obtained samples from Pune and Nashik to examine for quality and discovered that the powder’s pH value was far higher than allowed.
As a result, the FDA ordered the US-based company to recall all of its stock and issue a show-cause notice because the usage of the product might harm newborn babies’ health and skin. However, Johnson & Johnson declined to accept the FDA report and said that it would contest it in court. Additionally, the corporation maintained that the sample should be submitted to the government of India’s referral laboratory, the Central Drugs Laboratory in Kolkata.
J&J and its disputed product;
J&J stated in August that it would end global sales of its contentious talc-based baby powder in 2023, as extensively covered by WION. ‘We have decided commercially to switch to a baby powder portfolio made entirely of cornstarch as part of a global portfolio assessment. J&J Baby Powder containing talc will be phased out internationally in 2023 as a result of this transition’, read the company’s statement. Two years after J&J stopped selling its products in the USA and Canada, the company announced that it would stop doing so worldwide.
For many years, J&J talcum powders, particularly infant powders, have been the subject of debate. Consumers and survivors have filed more than 38,000 claims, some of which claim that the usage of the product caused them injuries. The powder allegedly contains asbestos, a substance known to cause cancer, according to several cases. However, despite the deluge of accusations and the suspension of sales of talc-based powder, J&J continues to insist that its product is secure and entirely suitable for human consumption.
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