Johnson & Johnson’s famous baby powder will disappear from the shelves of markets around the world in 2023.
In a statement on Friday, the company announced the discontinuation of the manufacture and sale of the product, target of thousands of judicial actions, US media reported.
Talc-based powder is no longer sold in the United States and Canada as of 2020. J&J faces thousands of lawsuits from women who report having developed ovarian cancer after regular use of the product, which contains asbestos.
The dust is extracted from the earth in layers close to asbestos, a material known to cause cancer. In 2018, a jury from the City of St. Louis (USA) fined Johnson & Johnson $4.7 billion, accusing the company of negligence for failing to warn consumers about the potential health risks caused by the product.
Even after deciding to close sales, the company reaffirms its belief in the safety of talc. In Friday’s statement, the company said that “the position on the safety of talc remains unchanged.”
“We are firmly behind decades of independent scientific analysis by medical experts around the world that confirm Johnson’s Baby Powder is safe,” it said.