Indian drug authorities on Wednesday took samples of Johnson and Johnson’s (J&J) baby powder following a Reuters report last Friday that the firm knew for decades that cancer causing asbestos was found in the product.
The Reuters investigation had highlighted the case of Texas resident Darlene Coker. The 52-year-old found that she was affected with cancer following exposure to asbestos suspected from the use of talcum powder of the company.
The concerns have now reached Indian shores and regulators have launched an investigation starting with sample collection.
J&J said in a statement to Reuters that its facilities were visited by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and some state-based food and drug administrations (FDAs).
“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 J&J statement said. “The characterisation of these visits as ‘raids’ or ‘seizures’ is incorrect as has been reported in some instances,” it said. “The tests have been conducted in the regular way that the FDA collects samples.”
J&J added that the safety of its cosmetic talc was 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.
It also said Indian FDAs and the CDSCO have in the past confirmed that its products “comply with Indian standards and are free of asbestos”.
J&J, however, did not immediately specify which facilities were visited.
A source at the CDSCO said its officials lifted samples for testing from nine Indian cities — Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Indore, Chandigarh and Ghaziabad. A CDSCO spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
A CDSCO official in Calcutta confirmed that as part of the ongoing sample collection process in different cities, samples of Johnson and Johnson talcum powder was collected from the retailers. The process of collection is ongoing and the regional office will follow the subsequent instruction from the headquarters for the next course of action.
J&J said it had cooperated with US Food & Drug Administration and other global regulators, providing them with all the information they requested over decades.
