New Dlehi: Drug authorities in India have visited Johnson & Johnson plant in Himachal Pradesh to take samples of its baby powder for testing. The firm has been accused of having asbestos in its talc products that may cause cancer.
The company sources, who declined to be identified, said the samples were taken from the Baddi plant in Himachal Pradesh state on Tuesday night.
According to reports, officials from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and state-based Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) also inspected other facilities of the US-based company Tuesday.
Reports further said that at least 100 drug inspectors were deployed to pick up samples after Reuters investigation indicated that Johnson & Johnson worked for decades to conceal that their talcum baby powder contained asbestos.
Johnson & Johnson on the other hand said in a statement that the Reuters article published on Friday, “is one-sided, false and inflammatory”.
“Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder is safe and asbestos free,” it added. “Studies of more than 100,000 men and women show that talc does not cause cancer or asbestos-related disease. Thousands of independent tests by regulators and the world’s leading labs prove our baby powder has never contained asbestos,” the company said.
Reuters report claimed that from at least 1971 to the early 2000s, the company’s raw talc and finished powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts of asbestos, but the company’s staff, including its executives, failed to disclose it to regulators or the public.
Following the Reuters report, K. Bangarurajan, a spokeswoman for the CDSCO, told the agency that its findings were “under consideration,” but added it was too early to say if a formal investigation would be launched into the baby powder.
"During tests in 2016, nothing unusual or hazardous was found and they were complying with Indian standards", she said.
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