Hundreds of British women are planning to take on one of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies over claims that talc gave them ovarian cancer.

Nearly 2,000 cancer patients, survivors and their families are expected to sign a class action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson.

It would mark the first trial the company has faced on the issue in the UK and the biggest pharmaceutical group action in English and Welsh legal history.

It follows thousands of similar claims in the US that have prompted Johnson & Johnson to pay out billions of dollars already in compensation.

Lawyers for the British plaintiffs say the talcum powder was contaminated with cancer-causing asbestos, something they claim the company knew about and tried to suppress.

But Johnson & Johnson has denied the allegations, claiming instead that they “defy logic, rewrite history and ignore facts”.

Linda Jones, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last November, is among the women launching the class action.

Now the doctors have told the 66-year-old that she may only have a few years left to live.

In 2020, Sharon Doherty, 57, who lives in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, was also diagnosed with ovarian cancer on the left side and fallopian tube cancer on the right side

Linda Jones, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last November, is among the women launching the class action

Nearly 2,000 cancer patients, survivors and their families expected to sign class action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson

The company director, from North Devon, said: ‘My mum used it on me when I was a baby in the 50s, and I continued to use it for years afterwards.

“We just trusted what the ads said and thought it was a good product.

“When I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it never occurred to me that it could have been a result of exposure to asbestos, until I started reading about legal action in America. Suddenly it all made a lot of sense.

‘My children will lose their mother, I may never even see my first grandchild, and my husband and I have been robbed of our pension together after only six years of marriage.

She added: “If there was any suggestion at all that the talcum powder would harm not only women but also young children, it should have been taken off the market.”

“It makes you wonder how many other women who have already died may have been victimized.”

Talcum powder was popular for decades for its ability to keep skin dry and help prevent rashes, used on both adults and babies.

But the powder, made from a naturally occurring mineral, may also contain small amounts of asbestos, according to some studies – a carcinogen known to cause cancer if inhaled repeatedly.

Cassandra Wardle, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021, is among the women launching the class action lawsuit

The 47-year-old, from Alfreton in Derbyshire, said talcum powder was used on her as a baby and she continued to use it “for 20 years or more”

Once asbestos fibers enter the body, they can become lodged in soft tissue permanently, causing severe cellular damage and inflammation – which can lead to cancer.

Earlier this year in July, the World Health Organization also concluded that the mineral talc itself was “probably carcinogenic to humans”.

Cassandra Wardle, from Alfreton in Derbyshire, is another woman taking part in the campaign.

She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2022 at the age of just 44.

Mrs Wardle said talc was used on her as a baby and she as an adult would regularly use talc after a bath or as a deodorizer, including over her genitals.

‘That’s exactly what people did. Johnson and Johnson talcum powder was in every home and was a trusted brand, she added.

‘I’m grateful I’m still here, but I’m also incredibly angry.

“I want to know why Johnson & Johnson didn’t change the ingredients in the talcum powder when they knew it was dangerous.

Johnson & Johnson discontinued mineral-based talc in the UK last year after halting sales in the US 2020

‘Why did they continue to sell it and put so many thousands of lives at risk? What they have done is nothing short of despicable.’

Meanwhile, Sharon Doherty, who lives in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, was also diagnosed with ovarian cancer on the left side in 2020 and fallopian tube cancer on the right side.

The 57-year-old said: ‘My mum would use talcum powder on all of us after a bath, and I continued to do that as I got older.’

Despite undergoing surgery and six months of chemotherapy, Doherty was recently told her cancer has returned.

She is awaiting further NHS treatment, which she hopes will start in the coming weeks.

Johnson & Johnson discontinued mineral-based talc in the UK last year after stopping sales in the US in 2020.

At the time, they said this was due to financial pressure and a “disinformation campaign” surrounding the product.

In the US, the company has been sued by more than 62,000 people and at least $13 billion has been paid out or set aside in response to the action.

Germ cell tumors are a rare form of the disease that develops in the ovaries, the female organs that produce eggs. It is often called a “silent killer” because symptoms do not appear until the late stages of the disease.

However, several cases have been overturned on appeal.

In recent decades, small studies have pointed to a link between talc and ovarian cancer, but some have been criticized for “recall bias” because they asked women with ovarian cancer to recall whether they had ever used talc.

Tom Longstaff, a partner at KP Law – who is representing the plaintiffs in this new action – said: “This once-trusted company knew for decades that the asbestos in its talc products was present, that it was dangerous, but did nothing to notify consumers of the risk .

“We are determined to help as many people as possible achieve justice in the UK for the actions of profit-seeking executives in US boardrooms.”

But Erik Haas, worldwide vice president of litigation at Johnson & Johnson, said the company “takes the issue of talc safety incredibly seriously and always has.”

He added: “As our documents show, we have relied on the most advanced testing protocols for decades and have been completely transparent with government institutions and academic researchers about our findings.

“These findings uniformly demonstrate the absence of asbestos contamination in Johnson’s Baby Powder and the talc derived from Johnson’s Baby Powder.

“Independent science makes clear that talc is not associated with the risk of ovarian cancer or mesothelioma.”

Mr. Haas also argued that Johnson & Johnson had won – or won on appeal – the “vast majority” of lawsuits in the United States.

The case is expected to take between four and five years, and some women are worried they may not live to see the conclusion.

Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common form of cancer in the UK. The disease kills around 11 women every day in the UK, on ​​average, or 4,000 a year.

It also kills three times as many women in the United States each year, figures show.

It is often diagnosed late because symptoms are vague and may include indigestion, pelvic or abdominal pain, loss of appetite, constipation and needing to urinate more often.

About 93 percent of women diagnosed live five years or more if caught at the earliest stage, compared to just 13 percent diagnosed at stage four.

About a fifth of women with ovarian cancer are also diagnosed in the emergency department, often when it is too late for any treatment.