Last Updated on August 14, 2022 by The Health Master
Johnson & Johnson (J & J) will stop selling talc-based baby powder globally in 2023, the drugmaker said, more than two years after it ended US sales of a product that drew thousands of consumer safety lawsuits.
“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, adding that cornstarch-based baby powder is already sold in countries around the world.
In 2020, J&J announced that it would stop selling its talc baby powder in the United States and Canada because demand had fallen in the wake of what it called “misinformation” about the product’s safety amid a barrage of legal challenges.
The company faces about 38,000 lawsuits from consumers and their survivors claiming its talc products caused cancer due to contamination with asbestos, a known carcinogen.
J&J denies the allegations, saying decades of scientific testing and regulatory approval have shown its talc to be safe and asbestos-free. On Thursday, it reiterated the statement as it announced the discontinuation of the product.
J&J spun off subsidiary LTL Management in October, assigned its talc claims to it, and immediately placed it into bankruptcy, pausing the pending lawsuits.
Also read related old news
J&J cleared in baby powder litigation case
New tests show no asbestos in Johnson’s Baby Powder: J&J
Johnson & Johnson baby powder samples to re-test in India
Before the bankruptcy filing, the company faced costs of $3.5 billion in verdicts and settlements, including one in which 22 women were awarded a judgment of more than $2 billion, according to bankruptcy court records.
A shareholder proposal calling for an end to global sales of the talc baby powder failed in April.
A 2018 Reuters investigation found that J&J knew for decades that asbestos, a carcinogen, was present in its talc products. Internal company records, trial testimony, and other evidence showed that from at least 1971 to the early 2000s, J&J’s raw talc and finished powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts of asbestos.
In response to evidence of asbestos contamination presented in media reports, in courtrooms, and on Capitol Hill, J&J has repeatedly said its talc products are safe and do not cause cancer.
Sold in 1894, Johnson’s Baby Powder became a symbol of the company’s family-friendly image. An internal J&J marketing presentation from 1999 refers to the baby products division, with Baby Powder at the core, as J&J’s “#1 Asset,” Reuters reported, although the baby powder accounted for only about 0.5% of its U.S. consumer health business when the company pulled it off the shelves.
Possible carcinogen found in some Diabetes drugs: USFDA
USFDA issues Form 483 for 4 observations to Zydus
DCGI notifies classification of 60 Medical Devices related to rehabilitation
Govt reconstitutes National Medical Devices Promotion Council
IPC releases revised draft general chapters on microbiology in IP
USFDA gives approval generic Labetalol HCL tablets
USFDA completes inspection at Stride Pharma with zero observation
FIR registered under Drugs and Magic Remedies Act 1954
USFDA gives final approval for Adapalene and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical Gel
Latest Notifications regarding Pharmaceuticals
For informative videos on consumer awareness, click on the below YouTube icon:
For informative videos by The Health Master, click on the below YouTube icon:
For informative videos on Medical Store / Pharmacy, click on the below YouTube icon:
For informative videos on the news regarding Pharma / Medical Devices / Cosmetics / Homoeopathy etc., click on the below YouTube icon:
For informative videos on consumer awareness, click on the below YouTube icon: