On Monday, the Mumbai High Court directed the Maharashtra government to re-examine samples of Johnson & Johnson baby powder produced in government or government approved labs.
The division bench of Justices SV Gangapurwala and SG Dige asked additional government pleader Milind More to submit names of labs on November 16.
Johnson & Johnson challenged two orders of the state government in court first dated September 15 cancelling the licence and the second dated September 20 ordering immediate stop to the manufacturing and sale of the company's baby powder product.
The Joint Commissioner and Licensing Authority of the state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) passed the orders. Hence, the state government’s orders were based on the report of the Central Drug Laboratory, which stated that the powder contained a higher pH level than prescribed.
Previously, the HC sought the state’s instructions on whether it would be willing to allow the company to begin manufacturing the powder at the facility.
The company said that it has been making baby powder as its Mulund plant for the last 57 years and the licence was renewed in January 2020. The manufacturer revealed that the revocation of its licence has resulted in a daily loss of Rs 2.5 crore based on the market value of goods sold.
