October 16, 2025
In what may become one of the largest pharmaceutical liability cases in British history, more than 3,000 UK residents have launched a class action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, alleging that its iconic baby powder contained asbestos and caused ovarian cancer, mesothelioma, and other deadly diseases.
The suit, filed at the High Court in London, accuses Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries—including Kenvue UK, the consumer health spin-off—as having knowingly sold contaminated talcum powder for decades. Internal memos and scientific reports cited in the case suggest the company was aware of the risks as early as the 1970s, yet continued to market the product in the UK until 2023, when it quietly replaced talc with corn starch .
“They knew it was dangerous,” said a spokesperson for KP Law, the firm leading the action. “This is not just negligence—it’s a betrayal of public trust.”
The lawsuit mirrors thousands of similar claims in the United States, where Johnson & Johnson has already been ordered to pay nearly $1 billion in damages to victims. But this marks the first coordinated legal challenge in the UK, and campaigners say it could expose decades of regulatory failure and corporate concealment.
Among the plaintiffs are families who lost loved ones to rare cancers, survivors who used the powder daily for years, and whistleblowers who allege the company suppressed warnings. The case could also reignite calls for stricter oversight of consumer health products and transparency in corporate safety disclosures.
