Johnson & Johnson has decided to stop selling its talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in the US and Canada.

The healthcare giant faces many thousands of lawsuits from consumers who claim that its talc products caused their cancer.

The company’s decision comes after years of litigation where it has been ordered to pay out billions of dollars in compensation.

J&J has consistently defended the safety of its talc products.

The company said it would wind down sales of the product, which makes up about 0.5% of its US consumer health business, in the coming months, but that retailers would continue to sell existing inventory.

It faces more than 16,000 consumer lawsuits alleging that the company’s talc products were contaminated with asbestos, a known carcinogen.

With Johnson & Johnson in the limelight, what are the hidden dangers of talcum powder?

Talcum Powder Case: Johnson and Johnson Ordered to Pay $110 Million to Lois Slemp

J&J Talc-Powder Case: Gloria Ristesund to Receive $55 Million in Compensation

Johnson & Johnson said that demand for Johnson’s Baby Powder had been declining in North America “due in large part to changes in consumer habits and fuelled by misinformation around the safety of the product”.

It said it had faced “a constant barrage” of lawyers advertising for clients to sue the company.

“We remain steadfastly confident in the safety of talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder. Decades of independent scientific studies by medical experts around the world support the safety of our product,” it said.

J&J added that the move was part of a reassessment of its consumer products prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The company said in October that its testing had found no asbestos in its Baby Powder after tests conducted by the FDA discovered trace amounts.

Johnson & Johnson is appealing against a 2018 order to pay $4.7 billion in damages to 22 women who alleged that its talc products caused them to develop ovarian cancer.