Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Aug 12: Johnson & Johnson announced on Thursday that it will stop selling talc-based baby powder globally in 2023, more than two years after it stopped selling the product in the US, which prompted thousands of consumer safety lawsuits.
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.
“As part of a worldwide portfolio assessment, we have made the commercial decision to transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio,” it said.
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.
