FILE PHOTO: A bottle of Johnson and Johnson Child Powder is seen in a photograph illustration taken in New York, February 24, 2016. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/Illustration
London, United Kingdom — UK claimants introduced Wednesday authorized motion towards US pharmaceutical and cosmetics large Johnson & Johnson, alleging that girls recognized with cancers have been uncovered to asbestos within the firm’s talcum powder.
J&J dangers UK courtroom motion for the primary time over the allegations, having confronted a collection of comparable lawsuits in North America.
KP Regulation, the agency representing about 2,000 claimants, stated “girls who’ve been recognized with life-changing and life-limiting cancers have been uncovered to asbestos contained throughout the firm’s talcum powder”.
READ: Johnson & Johnson reaches $700-M talc case settlement
In response Erik Haas, J&J’s worldwide vice chairman of litigation, stated “Johnson & Johnson takes the problem of talc security extremely critically and all the time has”.
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Haas added that J&J’s personal evaluation discovered an absence of asbestos contamination in its merchandise and stated “unbiased science makes clear that talc is just not related to the danger of ovarian most cancers nor mesothelioma”.
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J&J has till the tip of the yr to reply to a letter despatched on behalf of KP Regulation’s shoppers, following which paperwork will likely be filed within the UK’s Excessive Courtroom.
The legislation agency is representing predominantly girls relating to the case, and says it has been contacted by hundreds extra, including that some have died of their cancers.
Legal professionals declare that the US-based company knew “as early because the Seventies that asbestos in its talc merchandise was harmful however didn’t warn shoppers and carried on producing and promoting the merchandise within the UK till as lately as 2022”.
J&J stated that Kenvue, its former consumer-health division that it separated out in 2023, is answerable for “any alleged talc legal responsibility that arises outdoors the US or Canada”.
“Many years of testing by consultants… demonstrates that the product is protected, doesn’t comprise asbestos, and doesn’t trigger most cancers,” Kenvue stated in an announcement.
Settled claims
Nonetheless, in September, J&J elevated its provide to settle talc claims referring to ovarian most cancers in the US to round $8 billion to be paid over 25 years.
Earlier this yr, the corporate agreed to pay $700 million to settle allegations it misled clients concerning the security of its talcum-based powder merchandise in North America.
The corporate didn’t admit wrongdoing in its settlement however withdrew the product from the North American market in 2020.
The World Well being Group’s most cancers company in July categorized talc as “most likely carcinogenic” for people.
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A abstract of research revealed in 2020 overlaying 250,000 girls in the US didn’t discover a statistical hyperlink between the usage of talc on the genitals and the danger of ovarian most cancers.