NEW DELHI: Pharma giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) on Wednesday said that Indian drugs authorities visited some of its facilities to collect samples of its talcum powder, which is suspected of carrying asbestos, a component that risks cancer.
“Today, a few of our facilities were visited by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (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 company’s spokesperson said.Top sources in CDSCO said that the samples of the J&J talc and raw materials will be tested for presence of possible carcinogen asbestos in a single central laboratory for consistent results.
Officials also added that the test results were likely to be out within a month.
“US FDA and other agencies have launched an investigation on whether the J&J is safe,” a senior CDSCO official told this newspaper.”We visited their manufacturing sites in Baddi (Himachal Pradesh) and Mumbai and have also collected samples from across India. In addition, we have also seized raw materials used in the products at company factories,” he added.
The baby power has come under regulators’ radar following a report by Reuters last Friday saying that the company knew that asbestos was present in its products.