Johnson & Johnson to stop selling talc-based baby powder in US as lawsuits mount

Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson is to stop selling its talc-based Johnson's Baby Powder in the US and Canada.

J&J faces more than 16,000 lawsuits from consumers claiming its talc products caused cancer. The majority are pending before a US district judge in New Jersey.

The US healthcare conglomerate said it would wind down sales of the product, which makes up about 0.5 per cent of its US consumer health business, in the coming months.

The lawsuits allege that the company’s talc products have been contaminated with asbestos, a known carcinogen.

J&J said it "remains steadfastly confident in the safety of talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder," citing "decades of scientific studies."

The company added: "Demand for talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in North America has been declining due in large part to changes in consumer habits and fueled by misinformation around the safety of the product and a constant barrage of litigation advertising."

J&J has repeatedly said that its talc products are safe, and that decades of studies have shown them to be asbestos-free and that they do not cause cancer.