Johnson & Johnson Offers $11 Billion Settlement for Talcum Powder Lawsuits

The American pharmaceutical and cosmetics group Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is making a new effort to resolve the issue regarding the talcum powder for babies. They are now offering a total of $11 billion. That is more than 2 billion higher than their previous offer.

Johnson & Johnson has been dogged for years by claims that its talcum powder contains asbestos and is therefore carcinogenic. There are tens of thousands of claims against the company in several states. Two previous settlement offers were rejected.

Women who used baby talcum powder and other J&J talcum products for years say they developed ovarian cancer from asbestos in the products. According to them, the group has known since the 1970s that their products contained asbestos, but they did not warn consumers about it.

Reuters news agency wrote in 2018 based on internal documents that small amounts of asbestos were regularly found in the powder between 1971 and 2000. The link between asbestos and ovarian cancer has never been scientifically proven.

J&J has always denied that its talcum powder contains asbestos. The company decided two years ago stop by selling the talc-based powder. He replaced it with a cornstarch-based powder.

The plaintiffs can vote on the offer in the next three months. At least three quarters of them must agree. The company says they are confident that will happen. If the parties reach an agreement, this will also make future claims impossible.