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Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $5.5 billion to settle tens of thousands of lawsuits in the United States alleging that its discontinued talc-based baby powder caused ovarian cancer, marking one of the largest product liability settlements in the company’s history.
The healthcare giant announced on Monday that the proposed agreement covers approximately 69,000 lawsuits pending in US federal and state courts, representing 99.75 percent of all outstanding talc-related claims in the country.
The settlement will become effective only if 95 percent of eligible claimants agree to its terms.
The lawsuits allege that prolonged use of J&J’s talc-based baby powder and other talc products increased the risk of ovarian cancer because the talc was contaminated with asbestos or posed cancer risks on its own.
J&J has consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that decades of scientific research support the safety of its talc products and that there is no conclusive evidence linking cosmetic talc to cancer.
Despite its stance, the company discontinued sales of its talc-based baby powder in the United States in 2020 and later worldwide in 2023, replacing the product with a cornstarch-based alternative.
Talc, a naturally occurring soft mineral widely used in cosmetics and personal care products for its moisture-absorbing properties, has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years.
In 2024, the World Health Organization classified talc as “probably carcinogenic to humans,” citing limited evidence of a possible association with ovarian cancer and sufficient evidence from experimental studies.
Legal challenges against J&J have mounted over the past decade.
The first major verdict came in 2016, when a Missouri jury awarded $72 million to the family of a woman who died from ovarian cancer after allegedly using the company’s talc products for decades.
Although that verdict was later overturned on appeal, thousands of similar lawsuits followed, with several juries awarding substantial damages to plaintiffs in subsequent cases.
Erik Haas, J&J’s head of litigation, said the proposed settlement would allow the company to resolve nearly all remaining US talc claims and move forward.
“This agreement allows us to put this matter behind us,” Haas said.
Lawyers representing the plaintiffs welcomed the proposed deal, describing it as a significant step toward resolving a legal battle that has lasted more than a decade.
The settlement, however, applies only to claims filed in the United States.
It does not cover ongoing litigation in the United Kingdom, where more than 7,000 potential claimants are pursuing what has been described as the country’s largest-ever product liability case involving talc-based products.
The proposed agreement marks another major attempt by J&J to bring an end to years of costly litigation surrounding one of its most iconic consumer products while avoiding prolonged courtroom battles over future claims.