Thousands sue Johnson & Johnson in UK over cancer claims
By Abigail Townsend
Date: Thursday 16 Oct 2025
(Sharecast News) - Legal action against US healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson got underway in London on Thursday, over claims its talcum powder caused cancer.
A lawsuit was filed at the High Court against J&J and Kenvue UK, a subsidiary of the firm's former consumer health unit Kenvue, which was spun off in 2023.
It has been filed by more than 3,000 people who allege their ovarian cancer or mesothelioma were caused by using Johnson's Baby Powder between 1965 and 2023.
Talc is a naturally occurring mined mineral, which the claimants allege contains asbestos.
J&J is already facing 1000s of similar lawsuits in the US. Last week it was ordered to pay $966m to the family of a woman who died from mesothelioma, one of the largest awards against the company to date.
J&J has long denied all claims against it, however, and has successfully appealed a number of rulings.
The firm told Reuters that Kenvue "retained the responsibility and any purported liability for talc-related litigation outside of the US and Canada".
Kenvue - which also owns Tylenol, Listerine and Nicorette, among others - insisted the powder "did not contain asbestos, and does not cause cancer".
It said: "The safety of Johnson's Baby Powder is backed by years of testing by independent and leading laboratories, universities and health authorities in the UK and around the world.
"The high-quality cosmetic grade talc that was used...was compliant with any required regulatory standards, did not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer."
J&J stopped selling talc-based powder in the US in 2020 and in the UK in 2023, switching instead to a corn starch-based product.
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