Johnson & Johnson has proposed paying up to $5.5bn (£4.14bn) to settle tens of thousands of US lawsuits alleging that its talc-based baby powder and other products caused ovarian cancer, BBC News reported.
The New Jersey-based healthcare company has denied that its talc products caused cancer. Erik Haas, J&J’s vice president of litigation, said on Monday that the allegations were “meritless”, but that the company was prepared to settle to bring the dispute to a close.
J&J said the proposed agreement would cover about 76,000 cases, representing most of the remaining talc-related claims. The company said it would offer up to $3bn next year, with no further payments due before 2028.
The settlement must be accepted by legal firms representing 95% of ovarian cancer claims in state and federal courts before it can be completed, according to J&J.
Mr Haas said the company believed it would have “ultimately prevailed with further litigation”, as he said it had in most cases heard in court so far. He said the proposed resolution would allow J&J to move on and focus on developing medicines and medical devices.
J&J’s former consumer health business, Kenvue, is responsible for Johnson’s baby powder liabilities outside North America. Kenvue, which owns brands including Band-Aid, Listerine and Calpol, was spun off from J&J in 2022.
Legal action over J&J’s talc-based baby powder began as early as 2009. Earlier in July, a federal court gave the company a favourable ruling by questioning whether individual plaintiffs could show that talc directly caused their ovarian cancer.
Talc is a naturally occurring mineral containing magnesium, silicon, oxygen and hydrogen, and is commonly used in baby powder. Claimants have alleged that J&J’s talc products caused cancer because of asbestos contamination. Talc is mined from the earth and can be found near asbestos, a known carcinogen.
J&J has repeatedly rejected the allegations and said in its latest announcement: “Studies show talc is safe, does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer.”
In 2022, the company said it would stop making and selling talc-based baby powder worldwide, more than two years after ending sales of the product in the US. At the time, J&J said it had made a commercial decision to move to an all cornstarch-based baby powder range.
