Johnson & Johnson has been ordered by a US jury to pay $55m to a woman who said that using the company’s talc-powder products for feminine hygiene caused her to develop ovarian cancer.
The verdict is the second straight trial loss for the company, which is facing approximately 1,200 lawsuits accusing it of not adequately warning consumers about its talc-based products’ cancer risks. Following a three-week trial in Missouri state court, jurors deliberated for about a day before returning a verdict in favour of the plaintiff, Gloria Ristesund.
J&J spokeswoman Carol Goodrich said the verdict contradicted 30 years of research supporting the safety of cosmetic talc. The company intended to appeal the jury’s decision and would continue defending its products’ safety, she said.
Ristesund said she used J&J’s talc-based powder products – which include the well-known Baby Powder and Shower to Shower Powder – on her genitals for decades. Her lawyers told how she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and had to undergo a hysterectomy and related surgeries.
The verdict follows a $72m jury award from the same court in February to the family of a woman who died from ovarian cancer after years of using talc powder for feminine hygiene.
Plaintiffs in talc litigation, which is concentrated in Missouri and New Jersey state courts, have accused J&J of failing for years to warn that talc was linked to an increased risk for ovarian cancer. J&J has said that it acted properly in developing and marketing the products.