Drug regulator seizes Johnson & Johnson talcum powder for testing

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Dec 19, 2018

​At 7 a.m. on Dec. 19, a team of drug inspectors raided Johnson & Johnson manufacturing facilities, distributors, and wholesalers to seize samples of the brand’s talcum powder to test for traces of asbestos.

An official source said that a team of 100 drug inspectors has been tasked with examining several Johnson & Johnson manufacturing facilities, distributors, and wholesalers. The inspectors have been instructed to seize samples of Johnson & Johnson talcum powder and the raw materials used in it to test them for traces of the carcinogenic asbestos, as reported by TNN.  

The raid comes just several days after an explosive report from Reuters showing that the personal care products giant had known for decades that its products contained traces of asbestos. “Samples of all brands of the powder will be collected and sent for testing,” a source told the Times of India.

According to the sources, the decision to conduct the raid was made in the evening of December 18 at a meeting at the Ministry of Health. The investigation comes in addition to an ongoing scandal of Johnson & Johnson supplying faulty hip implants. The business has already been ordered to pay between Rs 30 lakh ($42,763) and Rs 1.2 crore in compensation to each patient affected.

In India, Johnson & Johnson talcum powder makes up 13 percent of the country’s Rs 700 crore talcum powder market.