In London, Johnson & Johnson is facing legal action from approximately 2,000 UK claimants who allege that the company’s talcum powder contains asbestos, leading to cancer diagnoses among women.

This marks the first UK lawsuit for the US-based pharmaceutical giant over these claims, adding to a history of similar lawsuits in North America.

KP Law, representing the claimants, claims that J&J was aware of these dangers since the 1970s but continued selling the products until 2022.

J&J’s Erik Haas insists that the company found no asbestos in its products and cites independent research negating a link between talc use and ovarian cancer or mesothelioma.

Despite this, J&J recently offered to settle US claims for $8 billion over 25 years and agreed earlier this year to a $700 million settlement without admitting wrongdoing.

The company's talc products were pulled from the North American market in 2020.

The World Health Organization has labeled talc as 'probably carcinogenic,' while a 2020 study found no statistical link between talc use and ovarian cancer.