|
 The
letter addressed to J&J Chief Executive Alex Gorsky asks for
documents and information related to testing of its talc products
for the presence of carcinogens and "how it presented that
information to regulators and consumers."
Reuters on Dec. 14 published a Special Report detailing that the
company knew that the talc in its raw and finished powders sometimes
tested positive for cancer-causing asbestos from the 1970s into the
early 2000s - test results the company did not disclose to
regulators or consumers.
While exposure to asbestos has been linked to mesothelioma, J&J has
repeatedly said that its talc products are safe, and that decades of
studies have shown them to be asbestos-free and that they do not
cause cancer.
J&J spokesman Ernie Knewitz, in an emailed statement, acknowledged
receiving the letter and said the company looks forward to sharing
its response with the senator.
“As we have consistently stated, we firmly stand behind the safety
and purity of our talc, which has been confirmed by thousands of
independent tests by regulators worldwide, including the U.S. FDA
and many of the world’s leading independent laboratories," the
company statement said.
[to top of second column] |
Murray, the top Democrat on the Republican-controlled Senate
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, referred to the
Reuters report in her letter. It began, "I am troubled by recent
reports of an alleged decades-long effort by Johnson & Johnson to
potentially mislead regulators and consumers about the safety of one
of its products, which may have resulted in long-term harm for men,
women, and children who used Johnson & Johnson baby powder."
J&J is facing more than 11,000 lawsuits alleging that use of its
talc products, including baby powder, caused cancer.
Murray asked for documents to support the company's claim that its
current talc products do not contain any level of asbestos,
documents on the testing of its talc products and communications
with the Food and Drug Administration about the safety of its baby
powder dating from 1966 to present.
(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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