London, Aug 12: Johnson & Johnson is to stop selling and making talc-based baby powder globally, two years after it ended sales in the US and Canada, the media reported.
The healthcare firm has faced tens of thousands of lawsuits from consumers who allege its talc products, including the instantly recognisable brand of Johnson’s baby powder, caused them to develop cancer.
“As part of a worldwide portfolio assessment, we have made the commercial decision to transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio,” the company said in a statement, The Guardian reported.
“As a result of this transition, talc-based Johnson’s baby powder will be discontinued globally in 2023.”
In 2020, the company announced it was to stop selling the talc-based version in North America because of a fall in demand after what it said was “misinformation” about the product’s safety and legal challenges, The Guardian reported.
This followed J&J voluntarily recalling a batch of its baby powder after US Food and Drug Administration regulators found trace amounts of asbestos in the product. The company said 33,000 bottles of talcum powder would be recalled “out of an abundance of caution”.
J&J, which said that it already sold the cornstarch-based version of the baby powder around the world, said it continued to maintain that the talc-based baby powder did not cause cancer, The Guardian reported.
“Our position on the safety of our cosmetic talc remains unchanged,” the company said.
“We stand firmly behind decades of independent scientific analysis by medical experts around the world that confirm that talc-based Johnson’s baby powder is safe, does not contain asbestos, and does not cause cancer.”
J&J, which is facing about 38,000 lawsuits, said the decision to stop selling the product was about “optimising” its product portfolio.
“We continuously evaluate and optimise our portfolio to best position the business for long-term growth,” the company said, The Guardian reported.
“This transition will help simplify our product offerings, deliver sustainable innovation, and meet the needs of our consumers, customers and evolving global trends.”
–IANS
NASA invites ISRO to join Moon Base Programme as India-US deepen space cooperation
Bengaluru: India and the United States have discussed expanding cooperation in human spaceflight, scientific research, lunar exploration and commercial space activities, with NASA inviting ISRO to participate in its Moon...
Polymer currency: Govt approves 2 billion banknotes for field trials in Rs 10, Rs 20 denominations
New Delhi: The government has approved a proposal to introduce one billion polymer banknotes each in Rs 10 and Rs 20 denominations for field trials, Parliament was informed on Tuesday....
Mutual fund industry sees Rs 2.35 lakh crore net inflow in July, AUM at Rs 85.76 lakh crore: AMFI data
New Delhi: Mutual fund schemes in India recorded a net inflow of Rs 2.35 lakh crore in July, while assets under management (AUM) rose to Rs 85.76 lakh crore, according...
Domestic equity investments cross Rs 5 lakh crore mark for third consecutive year
New Delhi: Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) have crossed the Rs 5 lakh crore mark in net equity investments for the third consecutive calendar year underlining their growing role in supporting...
Govt’s CPGRAMS becomes one of world’s largest digital public grievance redressal platforms
New Delhi: The Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS), has emerged as one of the world's largest digital public grievance redressal platforms over the past decade. Through sustained...
Global tech sector records over 1.63 lakh layoffs this year to date
New Delhi: Global technology companies have announced 1,63,427 layoffs since the start of 2026, with AI cited as a factor in 91,215 of those job cuts, a new report has...
FIIs remain net buyers in India for 2nd consecutive week
Mumbai: Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) remained net buyers in India for the second consecutive week, following net purchases of Rs 5,949 crore in the previous week, with an additional Rs...
India’s domestic fundamentals remain strong as FPI inflows revive: Jefferies’ Chris Wood
New Delhi: Jefferies' Christopher Wood has reiterated a positive outlook on India, citing strengthening domestic fundamentals, improving credit growth and the return of foreign portfolio investors (FPIs), while making changes...
FSSAI directs PIE Foods to halt sale of monk fruit sweetener products over regulatory violations
New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Friday said that it issued a prohibition order directing PIE Foods to immediately stop the sale of its...
Meta’s AI model hacked external system during cybersecurity test
New Delhi: Technology giant Meta Platforms Inc. reported that one of its artificial intelligence models accessed the internet and hacked into an outside service's systems during cybersecurity testing following other...
India can become global leader in affordable caregiving: NITI Aayog
New Delhi: There is a growing need to develop a cadre of trained caregivers to address the current and future demand of care services in the country and also the...
India’s women physicists break barriers; head firms driving R&D growth
New Delhi: India has produced notable women physicists but female representation in academic physics remains low, however an increasing number of the country's women physicists are making globally acclaimed contributions,...
