Johnson & Johnson has agreed a £4.1bn settlement covering about 76,000 claims alleging its talc-based baby powder and other products caused ovarian cancer.

The proposed agreement could resolve nearly all the outstanding US ovarian cancer cases against the healthcare giant, bringing a decade-long legal battle over one of the best-known products in grocery and pharmacy health-and-beauty aisles closer to an end.

The settlement includes claims consolidated in a New Jersey federal court as well as related cases being pursued through state courts.

It must be accepted by at least 95 per cent of eligible ovarian cancer claimants before it can take effect.

Johnson & Johnson expects to pay approximately £2.3bn during 2027, with further payments scheduled for 2028.

However, the final value is not capped and could rise above £5.3bn depending on claimant participation, according to Chris Seeger, a lawyer involved in negotiating the agreement.

Qualifying claimants are expected to receive their payments within 18 months, rather than over the decade-long period proposed under Johnson & Johnson’s earlier settlement plans.

The company continues to deny that its talc products caused cancer, maintaining that the products were safe and did not contain asbestos.

Johnson & Johnson vice-president of litigation Erik Haas said the company considered the claims “meritless” but had agreed to settle to achieve closure and focus on its medicines and medical devices operations.

The agreement applies only to existing ovarian cancer claims and does not cover lawsuits filed in the future.

Johnson & Johnson has already settled most of the separate cases alleging asbestos in its talc products caused mesothelioma.

The business stopped selling talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in the US in 2020 and subsequently moved its global baby powder portfolio to a cornstarch formulation, discontinuing the talc-based product worldwide in 2023.

The settlement follows three unsuccessful attempts by Johnson & Johnson to resolve the litigation through bankruptcy proceedings involving a subsidiary, a strategy known as the “Texas two-step”.

Each bankruptcy case was dismissed, allowing the civil lawsuits to resume in March 2025.

Johnson & Johnson has recorded mixed results in individual talc trials. It has won a number of cases and secured reductions or reversals of some awards on appeal, while other juries have returned verdicts worth billions of pounds in favour of claimants.

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