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Johnson & Johnson Accused of Selling Cancer-Causing Talc

[email protected] (Agencies)
May 5, 2017

May 5: In another recent health scare, Johnson & Johnson (J&J), an American multinational known for manufacturing pharmaceutical and consumer goods especially for babies, has been accused of using carcinogenic ingredients in its talcum powder. The world's largest health care company has been ordered by the St. Louis jury to pay over 110 million US dollars to a women in Virginia who claims to have developed ovarian cancer after almost 40 years of using their talc-based product for feminine hygiene.

johnsonLois Slemp is currently undergoing chemotherapy after her ovarian cancer which was initially diagnosed in 2012, returned and spread to her liver. Ms. Slemp blames the regular use of the talc for having developed cancer. Johnson & Johnson is also famous of its baby powder and baby lotion. She also alleges that the talc was contaminated with asbestos but both allegations have been denied by the company. However, the jury in Missouri has found both Johnson & Johnson and Imerys Talc America, which provides the product to the company, guilty and has ordered them to pay massive damages. Imerys Talc is a unit of the Paris-based Imerys SA.

The jury awarded $5.4 million in compensatory damages and stated that J&J was 99 percent responsible while Imerys was just 1 percent at fault. It has awarded punitive damages of $105 million against J&J and $50,000 against Imerys.

In a statement, the company's spokesperson, Carol Goodrich shared that they will appeal the verdict and continue to defend the safety of their products. Shockingly and on the contrary, there are more than 2400 lawsuits pending against the company regarding their popular products like the baby powder and the shower to shower talc and their associated risk of cancer.

Some of the cases have been dismissed due to the lack of credible scientific evidence but lawyers claim that the company has failed to warn their customers about the risks of using these products. This is not the first time that their talcum powder has been accused of causing ovarian cancer. The company is facing another charge brought by the family of a former competitive figure skater who died of ovarian cancer and the trial for the same is due in July. In 2016, other juries awarded Deborah Giannecchini 70 million US dollars and Jacqueline Fox 72 million US dollars in damages for their suits against Johnson and Johnson blaming their talcum powder to have caused ovarian cancer.

"Once again we've shown that these companies ignored the scientific evidence and continue to deny their responsibilities to the women of America," Ted Meadows, a lawyer for Slemp and other plaintiffs, said in a statement.

Back in 2006, based on studies, the International Agency for Research on Cancer which is a part of the World Health Organization regarded the use of talc-based body powder on the genitals as "possibly carcinogenic to humans." Such incidents raise big questions as most of their products are used for babies and kids and given the image of the company people assume that they are using something that is totally safe. This and many other controversies that have cropped up in the last few years indicate the sorry state of the safety of consumer goods and how intense commercialization and industrialization may be affecting the quality of the products we use in our day to day lives while posing a serious health threat.

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Agencies
July 7,2020

The World Health Organization (WHO) is reviewing a report that suggested its advice on the novel coronavirus needs updating after some scientists told the New York Times there was evidence the virus could be spread by tiny particles in the air.

The WHO says the Covid-19 disease spreads primarily through small droplets, which are expelled from the nose and mouth when an infected person breaths them out in coughs, sneezes, speech or laughter and quickly sink to the ground.

In an open letter to the Geneva-based agency, 239 scientists in 32 countries outlined the evidence they say shows that smaller exhaled particles can infect people who inhale them, the newspaper said on Saturday.

Because those smaller particles can linger in the air longer, the scientists - who plan to publish their findings in a scientific journal this week - are urging WHO to update its guidance, the Times said.

"We are aware of the article and are reviewing its contents with our technical experts," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said in an email reply on Monday to a Reuters request for comment.

The extent to which the coronavirus can be spread by the so-called airborne or aerosol route - as opposed to by larger droplets in coughs and sneezes - remains disputed.

Any change in the WHO's assessment of the risk of transmission could affect its current advice on keeping one-metre physical distancing. Governments, which also rely on the agency for guidance policy, may also have to adjust public health measures aimed at curbing the spread of the virus.

"Especially in the last couple of months, we have been stating several times that we consider airborne transmission as possible but certainly not supported by solid or even clear evidence," Benedetta Allegranzi, the WHO's technical lead for infection prevention and control, was quoted as saying in the New York Times.

WHO guidance to health workers, dated June 29, says that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, is primarily transmitted between people through respiratory droplets and on surfaces.

But airborne transmission via smaller particles is possible in some circumstances, such as when performing intubation and aerosol-generating procedures, it says.

Medical workers performing such procedures should wear heavy-duty N95 respiratory masks and other protective equipment in an adequately ventilated room, the WHO says.

Officials at South Korea's Centers for Disease Control said on Monday they were continuing to discuss various issues about Covid-19, including the possible airborne transmission. They said more investigations and evidence were needed.

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Agencies
July 21,2020

New Delhi, Jul 21: The Centre has written to all states and union territories warning against the use of N-95 masks with valved respirators by people, saying these do not prevent the virus from spreading out and are "detrimental" to the measures adopted for its containment.

The Director General of Health Services (DGHS) in the Ministry of Health, in a letter to the Principal Secretaries of health and medical education of states, said it has been observed that there is "inappropriate use" of N-95 masks, particularly those with valved respirators, by the public other than designated health workers.

The DGHS referred to the advisory on the use of homemade protective cover for face and mouth available on the website of the Ministry of Health.

"It is to bring to your knowledge that the use of valved respirator N-95 masks is detrimental to the measures adopted for preventing the spread of coronavirus as it does not prevent the virus from escaping out of the mask. In view of the above, I request you to instruct all concerned to follow the use of face/mouth cover and prevent inappropriate use of N-95 masks," DGHS Rajiv Garg said in the letter.

The government had in April issued an advisory on the use of homemade protective cover for face and mouth, asking people to wear it, particularly when they step out of their residences.

The advisory stressed such face covers must be washed and cleaned each day, as instructed, and stated that any used cotton cloth can be used to make this face cover.

The colour of the fabric does not matter but one must ensure that the fabric is washed well in boiling water for five minutes and dried well before making the face cover. Adding salt to this water is recommended, it said.

It also listed the procedures of making such homemade masks, asking to ensure it fits the face well and there are no gaps on the sides.

It urges people to wash hands thoroughly before wearing the face cover, switching to another fresh one as the face cover becomes damp or humid, and never reusing it after single use without cleaning it.

"Never share the face cover with anyone. Every member in a family should have separate face cover," the advisory stated.

India's COVID-19 case tally crossed the 11-lakh mark on Monday, while the total number of recovered patients increased to over seven lakh, according to Union health ministry data.

The death toll due to the disease rose to 27,497 with 681 fatalities reported in one day.

The ministry data updated at 8 am on Monday showed that a record single-day jump of 40,425 COVID-19 cases had taken the total number of cases to 11,18,043.

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Agencies
March 27,2020

New Delhi, Mar 27: The Centre has restricted sale and distribution of "hydroxychloroquine" declaring it as an essential drug to treat the COVID-19 patients and meet the requirements of emergency arising due to the pandemic.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday made the announcement making it clear that the order "shall come into force on the date of its publication in the official Gazette".

In the order, the government declared that the Central government is "satisfied that the drug hydroxychloroquine is essential to meet the requirements of emergency arising due to pandemic COVID-19 and in the public interest, it is necessary and expedient to regulate and restrict the sale and distribution of the drug 'hydroxychloroquine' and preparation based thereon for preventing their misuse".

"Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 26B of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 (23 of 1940), the Central government hereby directs that sale by retail of any preparation containing the drug Hydroxychloroquine shall be in accordance with the conditions for sale of drugs specified in Schedule H1 to the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945."

The order came at a time when the novel coronavirus claimed 16 lives and infected over 600 people across India.

The announcement regarding ban of sale and distribution of the drug was made by the government earlier but it issued an official Gazette notification on Thursday signalling that hydroxychloroquine -- an anti-Malaria drug -- will work as a medicine for treating coronavirus infected patients as well.

Recently, the national task force for COVID-19 constituted by Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has recommended hydroxy-chloroquine as a preventive medication.

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