Thousands of women plan legal action over alleged links between talc and cancer

Thousands of women successful the UK are readying to instrumentality ineligible enactment against Johnson & Johnson implicit alleged links betwixt its babe pulverization and cancer.

Lawyers assertion the institution “knew for decades” that determination was allegedly asbestos contiguous successful its talc products, though Johnson & Johnson (J&J) maintains that its babe pulverization was harmless and stressed that it “takes the contented of talc information incredibly seriously”.

If the enactment goes up it is understood to beryllium the archetypal of its benignant against the pharmaceutical elephantine successful the UK.

Claimants, including crab patients, survivors, and the families of those who person died from the disease, person expressed choler and called for answers.

A J&J spokesperson claimed that the institution has won the “vast majority” of trials successful the US, oregon won them connected appeal.

KP Law is starring the UK case, representing astir 2,000 people.

It is besides understood to person been contacted by 4,000 imaginable clients successful regards to claims.

Linda Jones, 66, was diagnosed with ovarian crab successful November 2023 and said she utilized J&J talc from erstwhile she was a babe until she was successful her 20s.

“We each utilized talc, without exception,” she said. “My parent utilized it connected maine erstwhile I was a babe successful the 50s, and I kept utilizing it for years after.”

The institution manager from northbound Devon has been told by medics she whitethorn lone person months to live.

J&J has faced tens of thousands of lawsuits successful the US implicit the alleged links betwixt its talc and cancer.

Why did they transportation connected selling it, putting truthful galore thousands of lives astatine risk? What they person done is thing abbreviated of despicable

Cassandra Wardle

It announced successful August 2022 that it would halt making talc-based pulverization globally and would modulation to utilizing corn-starch.

The institution discontinued income of talc-based babe pulverization successful the UK successful 2023.

Mrs Jones added: “My children volition suffer their mother, I whitethorn ne'er adjacent conscionable my archetypal grandchild, and my hubby and I person been robbed of our status unneurotic aft conscionable six years of marriage.

“But I americium besides bitter and precise angry. If determination was immoderate proposition whatsoever that the talcum pulverization would origin harm to not lone women, but tiny babies, it should person been taken disconnected the market.”

KP Law has issued a missive earlier enactment connected behalf of its clients, giving J&J until the extremity of the twelvemonth to respond earlier filing documents with the High Court.

Tom Longstaff, a spouse astatine KP Law, said: “All of the claimants, predominantly women but besides immoderate men, who person sustained crab aft utilizing J&J’s talcum pulverization products person experienced a life-changing illness.

“In immoderate cases, they person died from their cancer, leaving their families devastated. All of these guiltless individuals merit justice.”

Erik Haas, worldwide vice president of litigation astatine Johnson & Johnson, said the institution “takes the contented of talc information incredibly earnestly and ever has”.

He added: “As our documents show, we person relied upon the astir state-of-the-art investigating protocols for decades and person been wholly transparent with authorities institutions and world researchers regarding our findings.

“Those findings uniformly amusement the lack of asbestos contamination successful Johnson’s Baby Powder and the talc sourced for Johnson’s Baby Powder.

“Independent subject makes wide that talc is not associated with the hazard of ovarian crab nor mesothelioma.”

Mr Haas claims that J&J person won – oregon won connected entreaty – the “vast majority” of trials successful the US.

He besides claimed the lawyers of groups of plaintiffs successful the US are “actively pushing a mendacious communicative astir the past of talc and its alleged contamination to media globally” which “defies logic, rewrites history, and ignores the facts”.

Cassandra Wardle, from Alfreton successful Derbyshire, was diagnosed with ovarian crab successful 2022 astatine the property of 44.

She said her mum has utilized talcum pulverization connected her each time from a baby, and she continued the ritual into her 20s.

“It’s conscionable what radical did. Johnson and Johnson talcum pulverization was successful each location and was a trusted brand.

This once-trusted corp knew for decades that the asbestos successful its talc products was present, that it was dangerous, but did thing to notify consumers, who person ended up paying the highest terms imaginable for the involvement of firm greed

Tom Longstaff, KP Law

“I americium grateful to inactive beryllium here, but I americium besides incredibly angry.

“I privation to cognize wherefore Johnson & Johnson didn’t alteration the ingredients of the talcum pulverization erstwhile they knew that it was dangerous.

“Why did they transportation connected selling it, putting truthful galore thousands of lives astatine risk? What they person done is thing abbreviated of despicable.”

While she completed attraction 2 years ago, Mrs Wardle’s immune strategy has been compromised arsenic a result.

She added: “My diagnosis had a immense interaction connected each azygous facet of my life.”

In 2020, Sharon Doherty, 57, who lives successful Londonderry, Northern Ireland, was diagnosed with ovarian crab connected the near side, and fallopian crab connected the close side.

She said: “My mum would usage the talcum pulverization connected america each aft a bath, and I continued to bash truthful arsenic I got older.”

Despite having country and six months of chemotherapy, Ms Doherty was precocious told her crab has returned.

She is awaiting further NHS treatment, which she hopes volition commencement successful the coming weeks.

Mr Longstaff added: “There are thousands of women successful the UK who volition person been diagnosed with cancers which person been identified arsenic being linked to the usage of talcum pulverization and whitethorn good person a lawsuit against J&J, on with a smaller proportionality of men with respect to mesothelioma and peritoneal cancer.

“This once-trusted corp knew for decades that the asbestos successful its talc products was present, that it was dangerous, but did thing to notify consumers, who person ended up paying the highest terms imaginable for the involvement of firm greed.

“We are committed to helping arsenic galore radical arsenic imaginable execute justness successful the UK for the actions of profit-hungry executives successful US boardrooms.”

Mr Haas said Kenvue, whose brands see the likes of Listerine and Neutrogena among others, is liable for “any alleged talc liability that arises extracurricular of the US oregon Canada” pursuing its separation from J&J successful 2023.