Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday gave a green signal to the manufacturing of Johnson & Johnson baby powder at the Mulund plant in Maharashtra 'at its own risk'. The court further clarified that the company is still not allowed to hand over the product for sale or distribution owing to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ban on the same. which is to remain in place till November 30.
The division bench of Justice S V Gangapurwala and Justice S G Dige, which was hearing the company’s plea challenging the government order that canceled its baby powder manufacturing license, also directed the state government to collect fresh samples of Johnson & Johnson baby powder from the FDA and submit them to two government and one private laboratory at BKC in Mumbai. The powder samples are to be tested within three days while the report is to be published within a week.
The powder was alleged to be posing a risk of cancer and several cases were been filed against it in different courts. Some women also alleged that using the baby powder caused ovarian cancer. The company has meanwhile repeatedly denied the allegations, claiming that its products do not contain any cancer-causing ingredients.
