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Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has offered to pay as much as $5.5bn (\u00a34.14bn) to resolve tens of thousands of lawsuits in the US<\/b> <\/b>alleging that its baby powder and other products containing talcum cause ovarian cancer.<\/b><\/p>\n
The proposed landmark settlement aims to close a long-running legal battle<\/a> that has weighed on the New Jersey-based healthcare giant for years.<\/p>\n J&J has denied that its talc-based products caused cancer and has changed the formula of its widely-used baby powder.<\/p>\n Erik Haas, the firm’s vice president of litigation said on Monday, external<\/span><\/a> that the allegations are “meritless” and that J&J was willing to settle in order to finally resolve the matter.<\/p>\n J&J said the settlement would cover about 69,000 cases, totalling most of the remaining talc-related claims. The firm will offer up to $3bn next year, with no additional payments due before 2028, it said.<\/p>\n The proposal must be accepted by legal firms representing 95% of the ovarian cancer claims in state and federal courts before it can be finalised, the J&J said.<\/p>\n Haas said in a statement that the company is confident that it would have “ultimately prevailed with further litigation” just as it has in the majority of cases heard in court to date.<\/p>\n He added that the proposed resolution “allows the company to put this matter behind it” and enable J&J to “remain focused on its mission to develop medicines and devices that save lives”.<\/p>\n J&J’s former consumer health business, Kenvue, holds liability for Johnson’s baby powder outside North America.<\/p>\n Kenvue – which owns well-known brands including Band-Aid, Listerine, and Calpol – was spun off from J&J in 2022.<\/p>\n Lawsuits against J&J over its talc-based baby powder started as early as 2009.<\/p>\n Earlier in July, a federal court handed the firm a victory by questioning individual plaintiffs’ ability to show that talc was the direct cause of their ovarian cancer.<\/p>\n Talc is a natural mineral made of magnesium, silicon, oxygen and hydrogen, known for its soapy feel and is often used in baby powder.<\/p>\n The company has faced lawsuits from consumers and their survivors who claim J&J’s talc products caused cancer due to contamination with asbestos.<\/p>\n Talc is mined from the earth and is found in seams close to that of asbestos, which is a material known to cause cancer.<\/p>\n J&J has repeatedly denied the allegations and in its latest announcement said: “Studies show talc is safe, does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer.”<\/p>\n