J&J allegedly knew of the risks of ovarian cancer linked to talcum powder for decades

There are approximately 1,000 lawsuits against J&J, but there’s no clear indication of whether Walgreens are included in the lawsuits as a co-defendant.

According to the claimant, Andrea Harris, Walgreens was more than a seller of the talcum powder and actively marketed the powder, tailoring it to their shoppers. Harris noted that it “maintains a joint office with J&J in Buffalo Grove, where it develops business plans for distributing and marketing J&J items, including talcum products, specifically to Walgreens’ shoppers.”

From the Buffalo office, Walgreens allegedly assessed the products for “safety, efficacy and suitability”, and also jointly created labels and marketing campaigns endorsing the use of the powder in the genital area.

In October 2016, J&J paid out $70 million; $72 million; and $55 million to women who had used the talcum powder for decades. It’s reported that none of the above lawsuits included Walgreens as a co-defendant.

Statistics

According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 20,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with ovarian cancer and more than 14,000 women die from the disease. According to Cancer Research UK, there were 7,378 cases of ovarian cancer in 2014. In the same year, there were 4,128 deaths caused from the disease.

Cancer Research U.K. also notes that talcum powder use in the genital area may relate to higher ovarian cancer risks.

Research in support of the link

Though much of the research has found a weak or no link between ovarian cancer and the use of J&J’s talcum powder, some research from the 1970s, 80s and 90s shows a connection between the talcum powder and ovarian cancer.

Daniel Cramer, a Harvard University professor and doctor at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, found in 1982 that women who reported genital talcum powder use faced a 92% increase in the risk of developing ovarian cancer. In December 2016, Cramer and his colleagues conducted a study released in the Epidemiology journal. Cramer and co came to the conclusion that the talcum was associated with a 33% rise in the risk of developing ovarian cancer, and this was exacerbated the longer an individual used it.

In 1993, the United States National Toxicology Program found the substance to be a carcinogen. It’s alleged that J&J knew of these studies dating back 30/40 years but continued to market it as safe for women to “feel soft, fresh and comfortable.” One of the claimant’s lawyers stated:

“The evidence – the internal documents – will show that the company valued profits over human life.”

As talcum powder is found in everyday products including soap and toothpaste, multiple government agencies were against the idea of affixing warning labels on products that include talcum.

Complaints made against J&J and Walgreens

Harris’ complaint alleges negligence, breach of warranty, negligent misrepresentation, and fraud. It also notes that the product fails to place adequate warnings of the risk of ovarian cancer, despite decades of research highlighting the risks.

Sources:

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/ovarian-cancer#heading-Three
https://www.scribd.com/document/340748419/Lawsuit#from_embed
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20170302/NEWS03/170309953/latest-baby-powder-lawsuit-snares-walgreens
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20170302/NEWS03/170309953/latest-baby-powder-lawsuit-snares-walgreens
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnson-johnson-baby-powder-ovarian-cancer-70m-damages-lawsuit-a7384211.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2343974/Women-regularly-use-talcum-powder-increase-risk-ovarian-cancer-24.html
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-02/j-j-s-talcum-powder-goes-on-trial-in-ovarian-cancer-lawsuits