The largest pharmaceutical firm in the world, Johnson & Johnson, declared on Thursday that it will stop selling its contentious talc-based baby powder globally as of 2023.
Worldwide, millions of women use Johnson & Johnson’s based powder on a daily basis. Since they were created with natural components, this UK giant’s products were once thought to be very safe for kids. Indians have grown rather fond of this company’s products throughout the years. However, the talc based baby powder made by this company (J&J Baby Powder) won’t be sold in stores starting in 2019. By 2023, Johnson & Johnson will no longer offer this powder for sale worldwide.
It added that cornstarchbased baby powder is already available in many nations around the world. “As part of a worldwide portfolio assessment, we have made the commercial decision to transition to an all cornstarchbased baby powder portfolio,” the statement read. Due to a decline in demand brought on by what J&J referred to as “misinformation” about the product’s safety and a flood of legal challenges, the company announced in 2020 that it will discontinue distributing its talc Baby Powder in the United States and Canada.
About 38,000 lawsuits have been filed against the corporation by consumers and the survivors of those who have died from cancer, alleging that asbestos, a proven carcinogen, was present in the talc goods. On Thursday, the business made this information available. Since 2020, the company hasn’t sold any talc-based baby powder in the United States or Canada.
To date, the corporation has been named in over 38,000 cases. Many women have reported ovarian cancer after using baby powder. The company’s baby powder contains substances known to cause cancer, according to American officials. The business, though, refuted the accusations. The corporation removed that product, according to the statement, as a result of decreased sales in North America.Since talc is the world’s softest mineral, it is the ideal component of baby powder. This product is produced in numerous nations throughout the world.
Some of the industries that use it are those that produce paper, plastics, and pharmaceutical goods. This kind of powder is used to cure diaper rash and other problems with personal hygiene.
Johnson & Johnson disputes the claims
J&J disputes the claims, claiming that years of governmental approvals and scientific research have established the safety and absence of asbestos in its talc.
It reiterated the statement while announcing the product’s discontinuance on Thursday.The talc litigation were put on hold when J&J spun out its subsidiary LTL Management in October, transferred its talc claims to it, and then immediately declared it bankrupt.
While defendants J&J and the bankrupt subsidiary procedure contend that is an equitable method of compensating claimants, those suing have argued that Johnson & Johnson should be required to defend itself against the lawsuits.The company’s sales decision won’t immediately affect the claims because they are stalled in bankruptcy, according to Ben Whiting of the plaintiffs’ firm Keller Postman.
However, Whiting warned that if a federal appeals court permits the claims to proceed, the customers might attempt to use Johnson & Johnson’s decision to recall the items as evidence.
It would be a major issue if these cases went to trial once more, according to Mr. Whiting. According to bankruptcy court records, the business had to pay out $3.5 billion in judgements and settlements prior to declaring bankruptcy, including one where 22 women received a judgement of more than $2 billion. In April, a shareholder motion to stop talc baby powder sales worldwide was rejected.
According to a 2018 Reuters investigation, J&J had long known that its talc products contained asbestos, a known carcinogen. Internal corporate documents, trial testimony, and other evidence revealed that J&J’s finished powders and raw talc occasionally tested positive for trace levels of asbestos from at least 1971 through the early 2000s. J&J has consistently argued that their talc products are safe and do not cause cancer in response to evidence of asbestos contamination that has been presented in media stories, in court, and on Capitol Hill.
Johnson’s Baby Powder, which has been available since 1894, has come to represent the brand’s commitment to families. According to Reuters, a 1999 internal J&J marketing presentation refers to the baby products division, which is centred on Baby Powder, as J&J’s “#1 Asset,” even though the baby powder represented just approximately 0.5% of the company’s U.S. consumer health business when it was taken off the shelves.
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