Johnson & Johnson agrees to estimated $5.5bn talc settlement

Johnson & Johnson has agreed to an estimated $5.5 billion settlement intended to resolve most remaining US lawsuits alleging that its talc-based products caused ovarian cancer.

The agreement, announced on Monday, July 27, 2026, covers about 76,000 claims in federal and state courts. It will become final only if at least 95% of eligible ovarian-cancer claimants accept its terms.

The company continues to deny that its talc products caused cancer. Erik Haas, Johnson & Johnson’s vice-president of litigation, said the claims lacked merit and that the settlement would allow the company to close the long-running dispute while focusing on its medicines and medical devices.

Johnson & Johnson expects to pay $3 billion in 2027, with further payments in 2028. A lawyer involved in negotiating the agreement said the final total could exceed $7 billion depending on participation because the deal assigns values to qualifying claims rather than imposing a fixed overall cap.

The settlement applies to existing claims and does not cover future lawsuits. Johnson & Johnson stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the United States in 2020 and replaced it with a cornstarch-based product. The agreement follows years of mixed court outcomes and three unsuccessful attempts to resolve the litigation through bankruptcy proceedings involving a subsidiary.