Johnson & Johnson said on Thursday that it had made the “commercial decision” to transition all its baby powder products to use cornstarch instead of talcum powder after conducting an assessment of its portfolio. The health conglomerate, which maintains the product is safe, has for almost a decade faced lawsuits accusing it of hiding cancer risks tied to its talc-based baby powder.
In May 2020, as J&J navigated thousands of lawsuits accusing the product of causing some users’ cancers, the companyfrom the US and Canadian markets, citing another “commercial decision” based on declining sales. Lawyers for former talc users have challenged J&J’s move to have the unit seek Chapter 11 protection to deal with the talc unit. A federal appeals court in Philadelphia will hear plaintiffs’ arguments on 19 September that the move amounted to a “bad faith” bankruptcy filing because they contend J&J’s financial position wasn’t threatened by the talc litigation.