Pharmaceutical and medical devices giant Johnson & Johnson made an official announcement on May 19, 2020 that will be discontinuing the sales of its tale-based baby powder in Canada and the United States. The American giant has so far faced a number of lawsuits that have alleged that the product is tainted and adulterated with asbestos, but the company has constantly denied the claims.
Johnson & Johnson in a statement said that the demand for its Johnson’s baby powder has been declining due to the consumer habits which were fueled by the misinformation that was related to the safety of the product and also the constant advertising of the litigations on the company. Till late 2019, the company was facing thousands of cases that had claimed that the product contains asbestos that is known as carcinogen. On the other hand the company has constantly been insisting that the product is safe to be used.
It was in October 2019, when the FDA had found a small amount of asbestos in a bottle that was purchased online. This was when the company recalled about 33,000 bottles of baby powder. On the contrary, in the same month, the company had said that it conducted about 15 tests of the same bottle of baby powder, by two laboratories that was hired by the company. The company said that it did not find any asbestos.
Despite all the allegations doing the round, the company continues to remain confident about the safety of the product. Johnson & Johnson added that the medical experts across the globe have supported the safety of their product. The company added that they would continue to support and defend the products in terms of its safety. Johnson added that the product might have been banned in Canada and the US but will continue to be sold in other countries.
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