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Talc 27/5
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Class-action lawsuit filed after ovarian cancer linked to baby powder
May 26, 2016 | City News
A Toronto lawyer is launching a class-action lawsuit on behalf of women who have ovarian cancer linked to the use of baby powder. -
Johnson & Johnson Struggles With Brand Image
May 27, 2016 | MediaPost
By Tanya Gazdik
After a series of costly court rulings forcing it to pay millions of dollars related to cancer deaths and defective hip transplant parts, Johnson & Johnson is at its lowest consumer perception point in nearly three and a half years, according to YouGov BrandIndex. -
Two states sue Johnson & Johnson over vaginal mesh device problems
May 26, 2016 | BioPharma Dive
By Nicole Grey
...These lawsuits come as J&J is handling legal challenges related to its talcum powder. J&J is facing 1,200 suits which contend the company knew of an alleged link between talcum-based products such as Johnson's Baby Powder and an increased risk of ovarian cancer, yet failed to warn consumers about the risk. -
Daughter who lost her mother to ovarian cancer believes TALC could have been the cause and £87m lawsuit suggests she's right
May 26, 2016 | The Sun
By Lila Randall and Tanith Carey
A daughter who lost her mother to ovarian cancer is hoping to uncover whether the illness is connected to using talcum powder, as she believes that could be the reason her mother became ill.
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Class-action lawsuit filed after ovarian cancer linked to baby powder
May 26, 2016 | City News
A Toronto lawyer is launching a class-action lawsuit on behalf of women who have ovarian cancer linked to the use of baby powder.
The lawsuit, filed by Paul Miller of Will Davidson LLP, comes in the wake of several jury awards in the United States against Johnson & Johnson.
A woman was recently awarded $55 million after being diagnosed with cancer in 2011. She claimed to have used talc-based feminine hygiene products for the better part of 40 years. A separate jury awarded the family of another woman who died of ovarian cancer in 2013 $72million.
Miller says experts have confirmed a casual connection between the baby powder and cancer when talc is found on biopsy slides.
“It’s a terrible situation,” Miller says in a release. “Johnson & Johnson – could there be a more trusted name?”
“There are two things you think of: baby power and baby shampoo. Those should be trusted products.”
A handful of Canadian women, ranging in age from 40 to 60, have joined the lawsuit, claiming to have used baby powder with talc for the better part of 40 years.
http://www.citynews.ca/2016/05/26/class-action-lawsuit-filed-after-ovarian-cancer-linked-to-baby-powder/
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Johnson & Johnson Struggles With Brand Image
May 27, 2016 | MediaPost
By Tanya Gazdik
After a series of costly court rulings forcing it to pay millions of dollars related to cancer deaths and defective hip transplant parts, Johnson & Johnson is at its lowest consumer perception point in nearly three and a half years, according to YouGov BrandIndex.
On the upside, the negative feedback appears to be isolated to the parent company, and not seriously impacting two of its leading individual brands, Band Aid and Tylenol.
“Tylenol and Band Aid are the brand names that are most prominent on the packaging and advertising, so a good proportion of consumers may not be aware that J&J owns these brands,” YouGov BrandIndex CEO Ted Marzilli tells Marketing Daily. “The Baby Powder is branded with ‘Johnson’s’ Baby Powder, so there is a direct association with the parent brand. I suspect if we tracked Johnson’s Baby Powder, the brand would have taken an even larger drop than the parent brand.”
Since Feb. 8, Johnson & Johnson’s perception levels have dropped by two-thirds. In that same time span, Band Aid’s levels climbed 18%, while Tylenol slipped 13%.
Johnson & Johnson just spent several months bouncing back to normal perception levels after a year-long slide from the second half of 2014 through the first half of 2015. That slow drop, where J&J’s perception was nearly cut in half, seems to have been fueled by continuous news about Ebola virus vaccine development and lawsuits being filed by women over talcum powder potentially causing ovarian cancer.
YouGov BrandIndex interviewed 30,000 adults age 18 and older over the past 15 months for this research, which has a margin of error of +/- 2%.
The company measured Johnson & Johnson, Band Aid and Tylenol with its Buzz score, which asks respondents: "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?"
“The parent brand will survive and likely thrive. But the baby powder brand might never recover,” Marzilli says. “The lawsuits will likely continue to mount. There is a large and growing body of research suggesting a link between talcum powder use and increased cancer risks.”
Talcum powder is not a necessity and J&J faces a potentially long and costly battle to defend the Baby Powder brand.
“Maybe it will prove the research to be flawed,” Marzilli says. “But even if they win, some (likely many) consumers are going to stop using talcum powder. This may be a brand that J&J decides it would be better off without.”
This isn’t the first time J&J has been through a bout of negativity publicity. In 2010, the company implemented several recalls of Tylenol and other over-the-counter products.
“Those recalls were cited as a drag on sales in the company’s earnings,” Marzilli says. “Issues in manufacturing and distribution can be addressed and fixed. The baby powder crisis in a different type of crisis.”
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/276722/johnson-johnson-struggles-with-brand-image.html
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Two states sue Johnson & Johnson over vaginal mesh device problems
May 26, 2016 | BioPharma Dive
By Nicole Grey
Dive Brief:
Johnson & Johnson is being sued by the states of California and Washington for failure to disclose risk associated with its vaginal mesh device, reports Stat. The company already faces 35,000 personal-injury suits from consumers in the U.S. over its surgical mesh products. The implanted pelvic mesh device is intended to shore up weakened pelvic muscles and control urinary incontinence. However, plaintiffs against J&J claim the device was defectively designed and manufactured, which has led to numerous injuries.Women have complained of numerous serious adverse events, including organ perforation, chronic pain and inflammation, urinary dysfunction, and loss of sexual function.
Dive Insight:
Between 2008 and 2014, J&J's Ethicon unit sold roughly 787,232 pelvic mesh devices, according to the California Attorney General's office. Globally, the company has sold two million devices, and also faces lawsuits from women in a number of other countries.
"They believed they were making informed medical decisions, but that was impossible when Johnson & Johnson was spreading inaccurate information about its products’ risks, essentially duping doctors into using their own patients as clinical trials," said Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
J&J recently lost two jury verdicts, after juries determined its failure to disclose risk led to serious harm for two women. The first woman was awarded $13.5 million in damages, while the other received $12.5 million, according to Stat.
These lawsuits come as J&J is handling legal challenges related to its talcum powder. J&J is facing 1,200 suits which contend the company knew of an alleged link between talcum-based products such as Johnson's Baby Powder and an increased risk of ovarian cancer, yet failed to warn consumers about the risk.
Earlier this month, a judge in South Dakota ordered J&J to pay $55 million to a woman who said the company's talcum powder caused her ovarian cancer.
http://www.biopharmadive.com/news/two-states-sue-johnson-johnson-over-vaginal-mesh-device-problems/419885/
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May 26, 2016 | The Sun
By Lila Randall and Tanith Carey
A DAUGHTER who lost her mother to ovarian cancer is hoping to uncover whether the illness is connected to using talcum powder, as she believes that could be the reason her mother became ill.
Katie Searle-Jones, 29, has a memory box containing personal mementos that remind her of her mum; among the slippers and locket is a bottle of Johnson’s Baby Powder.
Pamela died 11 years ago, aged 50, despite having no family history of ovarian cancer.
Neither was she a smoker or overweight, which are other triggers of the disease.
Pamela pictured with her two daughters, Katie, left, and Emily
But like many other women Pamela used talcum powder on her private areas as the product, once a household staple, used to be advertised as important for looking after intimate areas.
One 80s advert featured an attractive woman in hear lingerie with a caption that suggested talcum powder would help a lady "charm a bachelor".
The powder was also a go-to soother for shaving rashes, chafing and sweat patches caused by exercising.
Johnson & Johnson paid out £38 million to a woman this year that developed ovarian cancer after using the powder and Katie is wondering if her mother fell ill for the same reason
Katie said: “She used baby powder all over every time she had a bath or shower to dry herself. If I went into the bathroom afterwards, there would be a cloud of it in the air.
“She started getting bloating in her mid-40s and kept being told by doctors it was IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) or wind.
“After a few years, Mum finally had a scan, which showed stage three ovarian cancer that had spread to her bowel and liver.”
Katie has a memento box where she keeps a collection of items that belonged to her mother
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Katie has been following a legal case that saw well-known talc manufacturers Johnson & Johnson pay out £38 million to a woman who developed ovarian cancer.
Gloria Ristesund, 62, is still battling with ovarian cancer and after using the talcum powder on her personal areas for 40 years she received the hefty pay-out this month.
The second case related to talcum powder this year saw the family of Jacqueline Fox receive £50 million.
Katie and Emily pictured as children. After hearing about the link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer Katie went for a check-up at the doctors
Jacqueline had used the product for 35 years and after being diagnosed with the cancer in 2013 she passed away aged 62 in 2015.
Talcum powder used to contain asbestos, which is widely accepted to cause cancer if it is inhaled. However, when health dangers arose manufacturers started to purify the powder.
In 1971 concerns over the link were raised when British researchers at the Welsh National School of Medicine analysed 13 ovarian tumours.
The study revealed that talc particles were ‘deeply embedded’ in 10 samples during the following 40 years, a further 20 studies showed a link between the powder and ovarian cancer.
Studies have shown that talc particles were found deeply embedded in the ovaries
Last year Johnson & Johnson were found to be negligent after they failed to put a warning about the risk on their packaging.
Katie, who previously used talc, added: “I was so worried I went to my doctor and got an ovarian scan, which was clear.
“But I feel I will have to keep monitoring myself as ovarian cancer mainly develops in older women.
“It is too late for my mother, but I know my father needs answers.”
Although Pamela died over a decade ago Katie is hoping to find out more about the link between the disease and talc to give her father peace of mind
According to the Daily Mail the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a World Health Organisation, found the evidence was strong enough to classify the use of talc on genitals as ‘possibly carcinogenic’ in 2006.
Furthermore, a study that was published in the American Journal of Obstetric Gynaecology suggested that the powder could start to accumulate in their baby daughter’s ovaries when they use it on their bottoms.
Despite the reports Johnson & Johnson claim the product is safe to use and currently has no plans to advertise the potential harm.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/7177177/Daughter-thinks-talc-use-killed-her-mum-and-87m-lawsuit-suggests-shes-right.html
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