"Johnson & Johnson knew for decades that asbestos lurked in its baby powder
LOS ANGELES: Darlene Coker knew she was dying. She just wanted to know why.
She knew that her cancer, mesothelioma, arose in the delicate membrane surrounding her lungs and other organs. She knew it was as rare as it was deadly, a signature of exposure to asbestos. And she knew it afflicted mostly men who inhaled asbestos dust in mines and industries such as shipbuilding that used the carcinogen before its risks were understood.
A third verdict, in St. Louis, was a watershed, broadening J&J’s potential liability: The 22 plaintiffs were the first to succeed with a claim that asbestos-tainted Baby Powder and Shower to Shower talc, a longtime brand the company sold in 2012, caused ovarian cancer, which is much more common than mesothelioma. The jury awarded them US$4.69 billion in damages. Most of the talc cases have been brought by women with ovarian cancer who say they regularly used J&J talc products as a perineal antiperspirant and deodorant.
At the same time, at least three juries have rejected claims that Baby Powder was tainted with asbestos or caused plaintiffs’ mesothelioma. Others have failed to reach verdicts, resulting in mistrials."
J&J's handling of it's billion dollar over the counter drug, Tylenol, is the most celebrated biz ethics n crisis mgt case study in the world. In it, the Company recalled ALL inventory n destroyed them while simultaneously created a new tamper proof packaging n salvage it's reputation n sales of this drug in record time. J&J is admired for it's courage n integrity to bite the bullet n do the right thing suffering huge losses short term.
With this baby powders controversy n if continued to b proven guilty in the many cases ongoing, it's reputation will b in tattered n the financial impact will b many times that of the Tylenol saga.
A pity. A sad ending if the Company can't weather this storm!!
Is there ever clean, courageous n righteous biz enterprise? My idealist in me says yes. While tje reality seems to tell me otherwise far too often lately!!
Sigh!!
LOS ANGELES: Darlene Coker knew she was dying. She just wanted to know why.
She knew that her cancer, mesothelioma, arose in the delicate membrane surrounding her lungs and other organs. She knew it was as rare as it was deadly, a signature of exposure to asbestos. And she knew it afflicted mostly men who inhaled asbestos dust in mines and industries such as shipbuilding that used the carcinogen before its risks were understood.
A third verdict, in St. Louis, was a watershed, broadening J&J’s potential liability: The 22 plaintiffs were the first to succeed with a claim that asbestos-tainted Baby Powder and Shower to Shower talc, a longtime brand the company sold in 2012, caused ovarian cancer, which is much more common than mesothelioma. The jury awarded them US$4.69 billion in damages. Most of the talc cases have been brought by women with ovarian cancer who say they regularly used J&J talc products as a perineal antiperspirant and deodorant.
At the same time, at least three juries have rejected claims that Baby Powder was tainted with asbestos or caused plaintiffs’ mesothelioma. Others have failed to reach verdicts, resulting in mistrials."
J&J's handling of it's billion dollar over the counter drug, Tylenol, is the most celebrated biz ethics n crisis mgt case study in the world. In it, the Company recalled ALL inventory n destroyed them while simultaneously created a new tamper proof packaging n salvage it's reputation n sales of this drug in record time. J&J is admired for it's courage n integrity to bite the bullet n do the right thing suffering huge losses short term.
With this baby powders controversy n if continued to b proven guilty in the many cases ongoing, it's reputation will b in tattered n the financial impact will b many times that of the Tylenol saga.
A pity. A sad ending if the Company can't weather this storm!!
Is there ever clean, courageous n righteous biz enterprise? My idealist in me says yes. While tje reality seems to tell me otherwise far too often lately!!
Sigh!!
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