Johnson & Johnson to stop selling talc-based baby powder after cancer claims

Around 38,000 customers have filed lawsuits against the healthcare giant

J&J’s talc-powder has already been discontinued in the US and Canada (Getty Images)

Johnson & Johnson will stop the production and sales of its talc-based baby powder globally from next year.

The healthcare company will discontinue the product following tens of thousands of lawsuits from women alleging the powder contained asbestos and caused them to develop ovarian cancer.

“As part of a worldwide portfolio assessment, we have made the commercial decision to transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio,” the company said in an announcement on Thursday.

“Our position on the safety of our cosmetic talc remains unchanged,” they added.

“We stand firmly behind the decades of independent scientific analysis by medical experts around the world that confirms talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder is safe, does not contain asbestos, and does not cause cancer.”

Sales of the product in the US and Canada ended over two years ago, following what they called “misinformation” about its safety amid persistent legal challenges.

Now, sales of the talc-based powder will cease in the UK and the rest of the world.

Around 38,000 lawsuits have been made by customers who claim its talc-based powder caused cancer due to contamination with asbestos, a well-known carcinogen.

In 2018, an investigation by Reuters news agency claimed J&J knew asbestos was present in its talc products for decades.

According to Reuters, internal company documents, trial testimony, and other evidence revealed that  from at least 1971 through to the early 2000s, the brand’s finished powders and raw talc occasionally tested positive for trace levels of asbestos

Johnson & Johnson has always firmly denied these allegations.

In October, the company established LTL Management as a subsidiary and transferred its talc claims to it. Later, it declared bankruptcy which halted any ongoing legal proceedings.

Prior to declaring bankruptcy, the business had to pay $3.5 billion (£2.87 billion) in judgments and settlements, including one in which 22 women received judgments totaling more than $2 billion (£1.6 million).

Johnson’s Baby Powder has been been sold for almost 130 years and is often used for preventing nappy rash and other cosmetic purposes.