J&J to stand behind talc's safety at upcoming trials -lawyer

By Jessica Dye
NEW YORK, May 17 (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) JNJ.N will
keep aruging in court that its talc-based powders are safe, an
outside lawyer who has defended the company in lawsuits said,
even after losing two multimillion-dollar verdicts to plaintiffs
who alleged that J&J Baby Powder and Shower to Shower caused
ovarian cancer.
Gene Williams blamed those verdicts on confusion created by
plaintiffs' lawyers at the trial. The Houston-based lawyer
insisted in a recent interview that there "is no proven linkage
between talc and ovarian cancer, and the vast majority of
scientific and regulatory bodies, who have reviewed the same
studies the plaintiffs point to, do not accept the premise."
Two talc lawsuits are scheduled for trial this fall, one in
Missouri and one in New Jersey. At least 1,400 cases have been
filed over the issue, mostly in Missouri, where state court
rules are seen as friendly to plaintiffs.
Three cases on the issue have gone to trial in which
plaintiffs pointed to studies dating back three decades, saying
they show talc use on the genitals can raise women's ovarian
cancer risk between 30 and 60 percent. J&J said subsequent
larger, more comprehensive studies found no conclusive link
between the product and cancer.
"The science supporting the safety of talc has gotten
stronger and stronger," Williams said.
In February, a jury in St. Louis, Missouri, awarded $72
million to a woman who claimed she developed ovarian cancer from
using J&J's Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products for
feminine hygiene. Another jury, before the same St. Louis judge,
returned a $55 million award in a similar case. J&J has said it
will appeal both awards.
Valeant Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:VRX) VRX.TO acquired Shower to Shower
from J&J by in 2012.
An earlier trial in South Dakota ended in 2013 with the jury
finding J&J had been negligent but declining to award damages.
Neither side appealed the South Dakota case.
Following the Ristesund verdict, plaintiffs' lawyer Jere
Beasely, whose firm Beasley Allen has been one of the most
active in filing talc lawsuits, issued a statement calling for
J&J to establish a compensation fund to settle the remaining
talc cases.
Asked whether J&J would consider settling, company
spokeswoman Carol Goodrich said it was preparing for the
upcoming trials this fall.
Williams, a partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon, has represented
J&J in all three talc lawsuits that have gone to trial. He
mainly defends medical drug and device companies, including Eli
Lilly and Co LLY.N and Bristol Myers Squibb.