Dive Brief:
- A Missouri state jury has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $72 million in damages to the family of a woman who died from ovarian cancer their lawyers claim was tied to long-term use of J&J's talcum powder-based Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products, Reuters reports.
- The verdict is making waves as the first to award damages over talc/cancer claims, though a 2013 case heard by a federal jury in South Dakota also found Johnson & Johnson talc products to be a factor in an ovarian cancer case.
- The Missouri jury determined Johnson & Johnson to be liable for fraud, negligence and conspiracy due to claims it has held back for decades from warning consumers talc-based products could potentially cause cancer.
Dive Insight:
The case stands out because it holds J&J responsible for the possible talc/cancer connection even though there is no conclusive evidence. It also raises questions about what action will come next, as there are about 1,000 related cases filed in Missouri and 200 in New Jersey, Reuters reports.
The concern is specifically related to whether the use of talc products for feminine hygiene can cause ovarian cancer, possibly by talc traveling into the ovaries -- which some experts call plausible but continue to debate.
Harvard University epidemiologist Dr. Daniel Cramer, who consulted for the plaintiff's attorneys in the trial, suggests talc exposure increases the risk of ovarian cancer by 30% based on studies that questioned women both with and without ovarian cancer about past talcum use. However, similar studies have received mixed results, and there has been no randomized clinical trial due to ethical concerns, as Cramer notes.