The American pharmaceutical group Johnson & Johnson has been sentenced by the American courts to a fine of 2.1 billion dollars because of its talc, sold for their intimate toilet, which is responsible for ovarian cancer.
- Talc, used by the group in its intimate toiletries, is accused of containing asbestos and causing ovarian cancer
- Johnson & Johnson is appealing the decision
The American pharmaceutical group Johnson & Johnson continues to receive fines. Already condemned multiple times, the company notably had to pay 750 million dollars at the start of the year to four plaintiffs from New Jersey (United States). In 2016, the group had to pay $55 million in damages, and in 2017, it was condemned in quick succession to 110 million and $417 million. All these payments are the result of the use of talc in its hygienic products which caused cancers in consumers.
The asbestos in question
This time, the American giant was fined $2.1 billion by the Missouri Court of Appeals. Again, it is the talc, used by the group in its intimate toiletries, which is involved and held responsible for ovarian cancer. The court more than halved the $4.4 billion a jury awarded in 2018 to 22 plaintiffs and their families. Some of these plaintiffs are not residents of the State of Missouri and were excluded from the trial by the judge.
The Johnson & Johnson group is accused of selling products containing asbestos to its consumers. The maintenance of a large sum is explained by the will of the judges to mark the occasion. “Because the defendants are large corporations weighing billions of dollars, we believe that a significant amount of punitive damages is necessary to have effect in this case.underlines the Court. It is impossible to assign a monetary value to the physical, mental and emotional anguish suffered by plaintiffs as a result of the harm inflicted by defendants.”
The group continues to sell the powder to the rest of the world
For its part, the American giant has decided to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Missouri. He continues to claim that his baby powder does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer. Last year it pushed back against claims by the US regulator that it had found traces of asbestos in baby powder, saying further tests had shown no evidence of the known carcinogen.
Last October, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the American health authority, announced the discovery of traces of chrysotile fibers, a type of asbestos, in one of the two samples tested, as Franceinfo recalls. Johnson & Johnson pushed back against those accusations, saying new tests conducted by the FDA showed no trace of the carcinogen. Last May, the group announced that it would stop selling this powder in the United States and Canada, countries where sales have declined due to changing habits and a mistrust of the product. She intends to continue selling it to the rest of the world.
.