J & J sentenced to pay $ 4,690 million for cancer-related talc

The pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson will pay $ 4.96 billion to 22 women and their families who claimed that one talc sold by the company had asbestos and The verdict is the latest result of a series of thousands of lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson regarding talc.

According to the victims' lawyer, Mark Lanier, a jury of six men and six women in St. Louis, Missouri (center) ruled in favor of women after a six-week trial and eight hours of discussions.

The amount consists of $ 550 million in compensation and more than $ 4,900 million in punitive sanctions.

The plaintiffs claimed that the use of talcum powder for personal hygiene had generated cancer in the ovaries.

"For more than 40 years, Johnson & Johnson has concealed asbestos in their products." Said Lanier in a statement

The company said it was "deeply disappointed by the verdict. "

" The result of the verdict, which granted exactly the same amount to all applicants regardless of their individual data and differences in law, it reflects that the evidence in the case was simply squashed by the prejudice of this type of procedure, "he added.

The company denied the presence in his talcas of asbestos or ovarian cancer and promised

Mineral fiber widely used commercially, asbestos is prohibited in a much of the world since the late 1990s for its toxicity and potential toxicity.

In October, a Los Angeles court of appeal rejected a $ 417 million award against J & J, noting that the plaintiffs' arguments were inadequate and vague.