Johnson & Johnson Offers Up to $5.5 Billion to Settle Baby Powder Cancer Lawsuits
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has proposed a settlement worth up to $5.5 billion to resolve tens of thousands of lawsuits in the United States alleging that its talc-based baby powder and other products caused ovarian cancer.
The proposed agreement is aimed at ending one of the healthcare giant’s longest-running legal disputes, which has generated thousands of claims over the safety of its talc products.
Despite the settlement offer, J&J continues to deny that its products caused cancer. The company has maintained that scientific evidence supports the safety of its talc-based products and says the agreement is intended to avoid years of further litigation.
Vice President of Litigation Erik Haas described the claims as “meritless”, adding that the company had agreed to pursue a settlement to finally bring the matter to a close.
According to J&J, the proposed deal would resolve approximately 76,000 lawsuits, covering most of the remaining ovarian cancer claims linked to its talc products. The company said it plans to pay up to $3 billion next year, with no additional payments scheduled before 2028.
The settlement will only move forward if legal firms representing at least 95% of the ovarian cancer claimants in state and federal courts agree to the proposal.
Haas said J&J believes it would have “ultimately prevailed with further litigation”, noting that the company has successfully defended itself in most of the cases that have reached trial.
He added that the settlement would allow the company “to put this matter behind it” and remain focused on “its mission to develop medicines and devices that save lives.”
J&J’s former consumer health division, Kenvue, now holds responsibility for Johnson’s Baby Powder liabilities outside North America. Kenvue, which owns brands including Band-Aid, Listerine and Calpol, was spun off as a separate company in 2022.
Legal action over J&J’s baby powder dates back to 2009, with plaintiffs alleging that the company’s talc products caused cancer because they were contaminated with asbestos.
Talc, a naturally occurring mineral commonly used in cosmetics and baby powder, is often mined near asbestos deposits. Asbestos exposure is widely recognised as a cause of cancer.
Earlier this month, J&J secured a legal victory when a US federal court questioned whether individual plaintiffs could prove that talc directly caused their ovarian cancer.
The company continues to reject claims that its products are unsafe, stating: “Studies show talc is safe, does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer.”
In 2022, Johnson & Johnson announced it would stop manufacturing and selling talc-based baby powder worldwide, replacing it with a cornstarch-based formula. The decision followed an earlier move to discontinue sales of the product in the United States.
At the time, the company said the change was “part of a worldwide portfolio assessment” and described the transition to an all-cornstarch baby powder range as a commercial decision.
