Thousands of people in Britain are suing the health care giant Johnson & Johnson over claims that the company’s baby powder caused cancer, mirroring a long-running litigation battle in the United States over the talc-based product. The claimants allege that from 1965 to 2023, Johnson & Johnson sold talc products, which it knew contained carcinogenic fibers, including asbestos, in pursuit of profits. The company stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the United States and Canada in 2020, switching to cornstarch, which it adopted globally in 2023. The claims in Britain are similar to others made in the United States, where the company has faced accusations from tens of thousands of people. Last week, Johnson & Johnson was ordered by a Los Angeles jury to pay $966 million to the family of a California woman who died from a rare and aggressive cancer.

Source: The Times October 16, 2025 15:22 UTC