Johnson & Johnson talcum powder and cancer, all the latest news
Johnson & Johnson has yet to settle thousands of lawsuits because its talc is behind a string of ovarian cancer cases. All the details
Nearly $9 billion to close the case. It is the proposal of the US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson to resolve thousands of lawsuits: its talc, on sale for almost 130 years, would be at the origin of a series of cancer cases.
But for now it is only a proposal.
FUNDS FOR COMPENSATION QUADRUPLED
In October 2021, Johnson & Johnson created a $2 billion settlement fund for ongoing and future litigation related to its talc.
Now he has made it known that he will make more than quadruple the amount available: 8.9 billion dollars.
J&J REPRESENTS INNOCENCE
Along with the proposal announced yesterday, company executives reiterated that J&J does not admit any wrongdoing and that the allegations "are specious and without scientific basis".
However, as Erik Haas, J&J's worldwide vice president of litigation, said, fighting court cases would take decades and be very costly. According to CNBC , the firm paid $7.4 billion in legal fees between 2020 and 2021 and said the talc disputes were the largest driver of its legal spending during those years.
The $8.9 billion, on the other hand, for the company is a proposal that "will fairly and efficiently resolve all claims arising from the cosmetic talc dispute".
A HISTORICAL COMPENSATION
However, it will not be J&J who will decide it but the bankruptcy court, which has the last word. If the offer is accepted, it would be one of the largest product liability settlements in US history, alongside those made by tobacco companies and, more recently, opioid manufacturers.
The funds allocated by the New Jersey firm would be paid over the next 25 years.
WHAT J&J IS ACCUSED OF
Lawsuits filed against J&J allege that talc caused ovarian cancer or mesothelioma, a cancer that affects the lungs and other organs. In fact, consumers claim that the product is contaminated with asbestos.
While J&J has always stated that its products “are safe” and emphasized that the current proposal is “not an admission of wrongdoing, nor an indication that the company has changed its position,” over the years sales have inevitably fall.
In May 2020 , the company stopped selling its talc in the United States and Canada, and last year it announced plans to cease sales of the product worldwide.
WHAT THE SURVEYS SAY
A 2018 investigation, conducted by Reuters , said J&J had known for decades that asbestos was present in its talc-based products. According to the investigation, internal company records, court testimony and other evidence show 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.
A 2018 verdict by a St. Louis jury also held the group responsible for helping to cause ovarian cancer in 20 women by "knowingly selling products that contained asbestos."
The company has always denied.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/il-talco-di-johnson-johnson-e-il-cancro-tutte-le-ultime-novita/ on Wed, 05 Apr 2023 13:06:13 +0000.