Johnson & Johnson will begin using cornstarch in all baby powder it sells worldwide and move away from talcum powder, which has put the popular product at the center of tens of thousands of customer lawsuits.
Company discontinued North American sales talc-based baby powder in 2020 remembering some bottles He said on Thursday that he will stop selling the product globally in 2019, but not in 2023. Johnson & Johnson said it sells baby powder using cornstarch in countries around the world.
More than 40,000 lawsuits, many involving women with ovarian cancer or mesothelioma, have accused Johnson & Johnson of selling baby talcum powder while aware of its links to health risks such as possible asbestos contamination.
The company said the decision to switch to cornstarch is part of its ongoing assessment of its portfolio and will help simplify its product offerings and meet “emerging global trends”. He also reiterated his position on the safety of baby powder: “We stand behind decades of independent scientific analysis by medical professionals worldwide confirming that talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder is safe, free of asbestos and does not cause cancer.”
Johnson & Johnson has been selling cornstarch baby powder for decades and developed a version of the product in 1980 after consumer advocates expressed concerns that talc contains traces of asbestos, a carcinogen. The company did not immediately respond to questions about how long the baby talcum powder was on the market.
“It’s a no-brainer solution,” said Alex Scranton, director of science and research at the environmental advocacy group Women’s Voices for the Earth. He noted that cornstarch is inexpensive, easy to obtain, and free of talc’s “toxic profile” and concerns about asbestos contamination.
Women’s Voices for the World was one of nearly 200 organizations that participated in a campaign led by Black Women for Wellness and pressured Johnson & Johnson to remove talc-based products from shelves worldwide.
Janette Robinson Flint, executive director of Black Women for Wellness, said she was celebrating the news.
“We took over a giant company, we fought and we won,” he said. “When they said they were taking it off the market in North America, they didn’t really take it off the market – they just changed the market. They bought it in luxury stores but kept it in 99-cent stores.”
Johnson & Johnson’s shareholders voted in April against an offer To stop the sale of talcum powder in global markets such as Asia and South America – a demand fueled by concerns about the company’s legal and reputational problems. Last year, the company faced $1.6 billion in talc-related litigation costs and had set aside $3.9 billion the previous year. Reputation tracking companies said the once-pristine name of Johnson & Johnson was tarnished among consumers due to talc-related accusations.
Talc-based products make up a very small portion of Johnson & Johnson’s consumer product sales, including Band-Aid bandages and Listerine mouthwash, but are responsible for the vast majority of legal headaches. In a talk box, Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $4.69 billion To 22 plaintiffs in one of the largest personal injury decisions ever.
The company sought to limit its legal exposure through an elaborate corporate pirouette known as Texas Two Steps. In February, a bankruptcy judge in New Jersey gave the company permission to move forward with the maneuver, which derives its name from a foxtrot-inspired dance style and its convoluted structure from a quirk of Texas labor law.
The restructuring process, which involves apportioning assets and foreclosure from creditors, has only been attempted a handful of times since it was conceived in 1989, mostly by companies facing asbestos exposure claims. If successful, it could protect Johnson & Johnson from billions of dollars in legal claims while also providing an escape route for other companies that are rife with personal injury lawsuits.
Kumar stagnates Johnson & Johnson talk lawsuits and some may leave extremely ill beneficiaries with a smaller fund for payments. Lawyers for the plaintiffs filed an appeal to stop the maneuver and said the next hearing would take place in September.
“After decades of selling talc-based products that the company knew could cause deadly cancers in unsuspecting men and women, J.&J. finally did the right thing,” said Leigh O’Dell, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys.
