Bombay HC quashes FDA order against Johnson & Johnson, permits company to sell baby powder

A bottle of Johnson & Johnson baby powder is seen in a photo illustration
| Photo Credit: Reuters

In a big relief to Johnson & Johnson company, the Bombay High Court on January 11 quashed an order that did not allow it to produce and sell its baby powder.

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A Division Bench of Justices G.S. Patel and S.G. Dhige, who reserved the verdict on January 9, permitted the MNC to produce and sell its baby powder.

Senior advocate Ravi Kadam appearing for the company, said that the Central Drug Testing Laboratory Kolkata is being considered as a gospel, which finds the product’s pH level within permissible limits.

Maharashtra’s Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) in September last year cancelled the baby powder manufacturing licence of Johnson & Johnson Pvt Ltd “in the interest of public health at large.” In a release issued on Friday, the State government agency said the company’s product, Johnson’s Baby Powder, may affect the skin of newborn babies.

Samples of the powder for babies did not conform to standard pH value during a laboratory test, the regulator had said.

In November last year, the Bombay High Court allowed the firm to produce the baby powder but withheld from distributing and selling it. The court also ordered another round of testing on the product in three different laboratories.