Johnson and Johnson suspend the sale of its talcum powder worldwide.
As it has received 38,000 lawsuits linking its long-term use to the development of cancer.
Johnson & Johnson will stop selling talc-based baby powder globally in 2023, the drugmaker said on Thursday, more than two years after it ended U.S. 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.
J&J announced the same tactic in the year 2020, that it would stop selling its talc Baby Powder in the United States and Canada because customers’ market had fallen in the wake of what it called “misinformation” about the product’s safety amid a barrage of legal challenges.
The company endures about 38,000 lawsuits from consumers and their survivors claiming its talc products caused cancer due to contamination with asbestos, a known carcinogen.
However, the company denies the allegations, based on scientific testing and regulatory approvals that have shown its talc to be safe and asbestos-free for decades. On Thursday, it reiterated the statement as it announced the discontinuation of the product.
In response to evidence of asbestos contamination presented in media reports, in the courtroom and on Capitol Hill, J&J has repeatedly said its talc products are safe and do not cause cancer.
