Johnson & Johnson is defending its products and practices after a Reuters investigation found the company knew small amounts of cancer-causing asbestos lurked in its baby powder for decades, but hid that information from regulators and the public, Reuters reports.
Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., sent a letter to the head of the FDA Dec. 14 urging the agency to investigate Reuters' findings to determine whether the pharmaceutical giant misled regulators and whether its baby powder products threaten public health and safety.
In response to the Reuters report, J&J said "any suggestion that Johnson & Johnson knew or hid information about the safety of talc is false."
J&J rebutted Reuters' report in a written critique of the article and a video from company CEO Alex Gorsky.
In the written critique, J&J said Reuters left out information it supplied to the news outlet that showed its baby powder is safe and does not cause cancer; that the baby powder has repeatedly been found to be asbestos-free; and that J&J has cooperated with the FDA and other regulators to give information requested over decades.