Johnson & Johnson Ending Sale of Talcum Powder Products in U.S.

Johnson & Johnson discontinued its legacy talc-based baby-powder products in the U.S. and Canada after thousands of suits alleging asbestos contamination led to a decline in sales. The health-care giant said Tuesday it had stopped shipping hundreds of talc-based items in the U.S. and Canada after coming to a “commercial decision” to discontinue them. J&J will wind down sales in those markets over the coming months, said Kathleen Widmer, chairman of the company’s North America consumer unit. All existing inventory will continue to be sold through retailers until supplies run out, she said. J&J first began selling baby-powder products in the 1890s, according to a company blog. J&J has faced lawsuits accusing it of hiding the cancer risks tied its talc-based version of baby powder since 2014. Juries across the U.S. have hit the company with billions of dollars in actual and punishment damages over their handling of the product. J&J has been successful in getting many of those verdicts reduced or wiped out on appeal. Shares of the New Brunswick, New Jersey-based company declined 0.3% in late trading to $148.55. Since the start of this year, the shares had gained 2.2% through Tuesday’s close. Read more: Johnson & Johnson Is Just the Tip of the Toxic Iceberg J&J’s cornstarch-based baby powder, which has been on the market since 1980, will continue to be sold in the U.S. and Canada. Widmer said 75% of its U.S. baby-power cus...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Companies News Desk wire Source Type: news