Johnson & Johnson seeks relief from HC on Maha FDA order

Maharashtra FDA had cancelled Johnson and Johnson’s license to manufacture cosmetics from its Mulund facility after it discovered that carcinogenic substances had been used for sterlising baby powder.

CNBC-TV18's Ashmit Kumar reports that Johnson and Johnson has filled a suit in the Bombay High Court seeking a stay on the order that was issued in March of this year. Also read: FDA seals drug manufacturing firm in Faridabad The company has challenged the claims of Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that necessary tests were not conducted. Sources say it has also questioned why a six year old issue is now being brought into picture by the Maharashtra FDA. At the heart of the matter lies investigations, which began in 2012, where the state FDA discovered that ethylene oxide, which is known to be a substance that causes cancer, was used in the sterilisation process of baby powder. In fact, Maharashtra FDA has claimed that this sterilisation process is not registered. It also claimed that mandatory tests for ensuring that traces of ethylene oxide were not detected in the products, those tests were not carried out. So, these were the concerns expressed. The Maharashtra FDA has conceded before the court that no further cohesive action would be taken. The net effect is that manufacture of cosmetics stays suspended indefinitely from the Mulund plant.