J&J To End Sales Of Baby Powder With Talc

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Johnson & Johnson will stop selling talc-containing baby powder globally next year after doing the same in the United States and Canada in response to hundreds of cancer-related lawsuits. The corporation announced that cornstarch will take the place of talc. The business has been involved in legal battles over claims that their talcum powder contributed to mesothelioma, cancer that affects the lungs and other organs, or ovarian cancer through use for feminine hygiene.

J&J says that talc baby powder is innocuous and does not cause cancer, and the vast majority of medical studies on talc support this claim. In 2020, J&J discontinued the talc-based baby powder from much of North America due to a diminished demand for the company's baby powder. According to a business representative, the decision was made after the company noticed a decline in demand as a result of "misleading talc litigation advertising that produced global misunderstanding and unwarranted anxiety" about product safety.

The healthcare company additionally announced last October that it will separate its consumer health division, which distributes products like baby powder, Band-Aids, and other necessities, into a distinct publicly traded business. The J&J branding will remain on the portion of the business that sells prescription medications and medical equipment. On August 12, just before the opening bell, shares of Johnson & Johnson, based in New Brunswick, New Jersey, modestly increased. For the majority of the year, the stock has outperformed the Dow Jones Industrial Average, of which J&J is a component.