J&J Targets Science Behind Thousands of Baby Powder-Cancer Cases
- Company disputes tests showing asbestos found in talc product
- Judge to decide if experts can testify for plaintiffs at trial
Johnson & Johnson's baby powder
Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Johnson & Johnson, seeking to head off claims by thousands of women that its iconic Baby Powder caused their cancer, took aim at some of the science cited in lawsuits alleging the company’s talc-based products were tainted in the past with asbestos.
During a hearing Wednesday, lawyers for the world’s largest maker of health-care products questioned the procedures used by Dr. William Longo, who tested talcum powder for asbestos. J&J hopes a judge will bar Longo from testifying for the women suing the company in cases consolidated in federal court in Trenton, New Jersey.