J&J beats lawsuit alleging that talc caused cancer

A Los ​Angeles jury on Friday sided with Johnson & Johnson (J&J) in a lawsuit by the families of three women who alleged that the company's talc products caused ovarian ​cancer, finding that J&J was not negligent ​when selling cosmetic talc products.
The lawsuit was ⁠filed by the families of Mary Owens, ​Bonnie Tienken and Geneva Williams, who each died of ​ovarian cancer after using talc-based baby powder.
More than 67,000 plaintiffs have sued J&J, alleging that its baby powder and other ​talc products cause ovarian cancer.
J&J has won ​some cases outright, including an Oklahoma trial last week, but ‌juries ⁠have awarded large verdicts for plaintiffs in other cases.
J&J stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the U.S. in 2020, switching to a cornstarch product.
The case ​was based on "junk ​science," said ⁠Erik Haas, J&J's vice president of litigation.
The verdict is "disappointing," said lawyer Ari ​Friedman, who represented one of the ​plaintiffs.
J&J ⁠has settled a majority of cases alleging that its products caused mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer ⁠associated ​with asbestos.
Nearly all of the ​remaining cases allege that talc products cause ovarian cancer.


-Reuters