The verdicts in two cases Johnson & Johnson in the US in the past two months could have its ripple effects on the talcum powder manufacturers in India too.
The cases have raised a massive health concern among consumers given two straight losses for J&J, which has to pay total compensation of $127 million in the two cases.
These cases — in which the usage of J&J’s baby talcum powder were found to be linked to ovarian cancer — have garnered massive attention and consumers, activists, the government and talcum manufacturers are all sitting up.
The manufacturers are concerned that any new parameters should not target one section of the industry — baby talc makers — and be generic.
The losses faced by J&J pertain not to the talcum powder itself, but more with its usage for feminine hygiene, therefore, any change in norm need to take into account baby as well as adult products.
Philipe Haydon, CEO, The Himalaya Drug Company, told BusinessLine , “We follow the law of the land and if any further regulatory communication is received, we will definitely comply. All our products and their labelling are done as per the stipulations of the Drugs and Cosmetic Act. If any label warning is mandated, it should ideally lead to changes across products, that contain talcum and not be restricted to only baby products.’’
Regulatory mechanism Even as the government has asked the J&J for information on the safety of its products and also asked the Bureau of Indian Standards to revise the standards for this sector, consumer activists are talking about the lackadaisical manner the regulators work.
Consumer rights activist Bejon Mishra said that the regulatory mechanism for setting standards is slow and the authorities need to be pushed to act quickly.
“The government and standard setting authority BIS should take cognisance of the cases in the US and react quickly to take immediate action,” he said.
Scientists have found that the use of talcum powder for feminine hygiene could lead to cancer as the minute mineral particles could enter the body and get lodged in the ovaries, causing inflammation, tumor and cancer.
J&J is facing about 1,200 similar cases in the US.
Consumer rights activists say they are closely monitoring the situation and waiting for the authorities to take the necessary steps. Other consumer advocacy groups believe there should be clear instructions on the packaging of talcum powder products, especially baby talcum powders to avoid indiscriminate use or wrong use.
Yogini Mishra, Co-ordinator, Association for Consumers Action on Safety and Health, a Mumbai-based advocacy group set by lawyers, said that talcum powder firms should be asked to have clear instructions and if possible even have pictorial depiction for the correct use of talcum powder.
She said these instructions should be put in regional languages or the national language as all strata of consumers use these products.