The pharmaceutical Johnson & Johnson announced that in 2023 it will suspend the sale of its baby powder worldwide, two years after doing it in the US and Canada, beset by thousands of complaints about product safety. Some demands that, in addition, have become a black hole for the company’s accounts.
In a brief note, the company said it has made a “business decision” to substitute talcum powder for cornstarch on this children’s product after receiving some 38,000 lawsuits linking its long-term use to the development of cancer, though it continued to deny that’s the cause.
At the end of 2018, reports surfaced suggesting that J&J had known for decades that its talcum powder contained asbestosa mineral of composition and characteristics similar to those of asbestos and with harmful effects to health.
Since then, J&J has faced thousands of lawsuits accusing the manufacturer of having contributed to the development of lung and ovarian cancer in consumers, an extreme that the company denies and that each year has caused it to spend millions dollars in litigation.
“Our position on the safety of our cosmetic powder remains unchanged. We strongly support the decades of scientific analysis by medical experts around the world confirming that Johnson’s Baby Talcum Powder is safe, contains no asbestos, and does not cause cancer,” stated the firm.
The company faces other legal problems in the US and agreed earlier this year to pay millions of dollars to various statesalong with other large drug distributors, for their role in the opioid crisis.
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