Lawyers representing 3,500 claimants are preparing to sue the pharmaceutical firm Johnson & Johnson (J&J) over alleged links between talcum powder and cancer, in what is expected to be one of the largest pharmaceutical product group actions in English and Welsh legal history.
They claim that thousands of women and some men contracted cancers after using J&J talcum powder products that had been contaminated with asbestos.
The specialist legal firm KP Law alleges that the US-based multinational knew as early as the 1970s that its talc products contained dangerous asbestos but failed to warn consumers and carried on selling the products in the UK until 2022.
It is making preparations to file papers this month at the high court in London.
The number of UK-based claimants has soared from 1,900 represented by the firm just last November. They include many cases of ovarian cancer and smaller numbers who have contracted mesothelioma and peritoneal cancer.
J&J has been the subject of long-running lawsuits in the US over similar allegations of cancer links to talc, which it disputes. The firm has proposed paying billions of dollars to settle almost 60,000 US claims, while continuing to deny that its products have caused cancer.
This will be the first time the company has faced a legal challenge on the issue in a British court.
Tom Longstaff, a partner at KP Law who is leading the UK case, said: “All the claimants who have sustained cancer after using J&J’s talcum powder products have experienced a life-changing illness. In some cases they have died from their cancer, leaving their families devastated. All of these innocent individuals deserve justice.”
A spokesperson for Kenvue, formerly part of J&J which now has responsibility for talc-related claims outside the US and Canada,
said: “We sympathise deeply with people who suffer from cancer and understand that they and their families want answers, but the robust science shows that use of our talc-based powder does not cause cancer.
“For over a decade, lawyers in the United States have created unfounded confusion and unnecessary fear about talc, an ingredient that has been used safely in foods, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and consumer products for decades. It is clear that lawyers are now seeking to exploit cancer patients and their families in the United Kingdom by spreading this same fear.
“We stand behind the safety of talc-based Johnson’s baby powder. Decades of testing by medical experts at leading institutions in the UK and around the world using the most state-of-the-art testing protocols demonstrates that the product is safe, does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer.”
Article by:Source: Esther Addley
