J&J to replace talc-based powder with cornstarch after cancer lawsuits

Image source, Reuters

From next year, J&J will no longer make and sell its baby powder.

The product was discontinued in the US more than two years ago.

J&J is facing tens of thousands of lawsuits from women who claim that their ovarian cancer was caused by using its talcum powder.

The company still believes that the product is safe to use.

The commercial decision to transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio was made as part of a worldwide portfolio assessment.

The firm said that baby powder is sold in many countries.

J&J's position on the safety of its baby powder remained the same.

"We are firmly behind the decades of independent scientific analysis by medical experts around the world that confirms Johnson's baby powder is safe, does not contain asbestos, and does not cause cancer," it stated.

J&J said it would stop selling its baby powder in the US and Canada in 2020 because demand had fallen due to misinformation.

The firm said it would keep selling its baby powder in the UK and the rest of the world.

J&J is being sued by consumers and their survivors who claim the company's products caused cancer.

The material that is known to cause cancer is found in the same area as Talc.

According to a report by the news agency, J&J knew for a long time that its products contained the cancer-causing substance.

According to internal company records, trial testimony and other evidence, from 1971 to the early 2000s, J&J's finished powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts ofAsbestos.

The firm denied the allegations after they were presented in court rooms, media and to US lawmakers.

J&J assigned its talc claims to the new subsidiary. The pending lawsuits were put on hold after it placed it into Chapter 11.

A judgement of more than $2 billion was awarded to 22 women in a case before the company filed for Chapter 11.

A shareholder proposal to end global sales of the baby powder failed.

Johnson's baby powder has been sold for almost 130 years and has become a symbol of the company's family friendly image.