J&J Talc Settlement Blasted by Ex-FDA Head Over Asbestos Testing

Feb. 27, 2025, 8:24 PM UTC

A Johnson & Johnson unit working to resolve massive cancer litigation in bankruptcy court was accused by a former head of the US Food and Drug Administration of making misleading claims that the company’s baby powder never contained asbestos.

David Kessler, who led the FDA for more than six years starting in 1990, took the stand at a trial in Houston on Wednesday as a paid expert witness for opponents of J&J’s $9 billion settlement plan to end cancer cases targeting its signature powder.

Kessler said his review of evidence emerging from more than 15 years of litigation after ...

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