£3.6bn PAYOUT AFTER TALC GAVE WOMEN CANCER
US court hammers Johnson & Johnson
PHARMACEUTICAL giants Johnson & Johnson have been ordered to pay £3.6billion to 22 women who claimed the firm’s talcum powders caused their ovarian cancer.
The jury’s verdict at a court in St Louis, Missouri, follow six weeks of testimony and means the company will be forced to pay out £419million in compensation and an additional £3.15billion in punitive damages.
The women’s legal team claimed that Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products have been laced with cancer-causing asbestos “for decades”. Lead lawyer Mark Lanier said: “For over 40 years, Johnson & Johnson have covered up the evidence of asbestos in their products.
“We hope this verdict will get the attention of the J&J board and that it will lead them to better inform the medical community and the public about the connection between asbestos, talc and ovarian cancer.
“The company should pull talc from the market before causing further anguish, harm and death from a terrible disease.”
Johnson & Johnson deny that their products contain asbestos and said they “remain confident” that they do not cause ovarian cancer.
They added that they were “deeply disappointed” in the verdict and plan to appeal it.
Of the 22 women represented in this case, six have died from ovarian cancer.
Johnson & Johnson are reportedly still battling around 9000 talc cases.