Johnson & Johnson to pay $4.96 bn in damages in baby powder lawsuit
Washington, July 13: A jury in the US on Thursday ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $4.69 billion in damages to 22 women and their families who had claimed the company's talcum powder products caused them to develop ovarian cancer.
The compensation awarded by a jury in St. Louis, Missouri, is divided into $550 million in compensatory damages and another $4.14 billion in punitive damages, Efe reported.
This is the largest damages Johnson & Johnson has faced to date among about 9,000 similar cases.
The plaintiffs, six of whom have already died, alleged that asbestos found in the baby-product company's talcum powder caused their ovarian cancer since the 1970s.
Johnson & Johnson, which has announced that it will appeal against the verdict, argues that its talc products do not contain asbestos or cause cancer.
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Health Minister warns hospital staff against sending patients to nearby pharmacies
Bengaluru: Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has cautioned hospital personnel against directing patients to nearby pharmacies for prescribed medicines, despite an adequate supply being available in the hospital.
In a post on his 'X' account on Tuesday, the minister stated that the Karnataka government is working to eliminate 'unnecessary' pharmacies near government hospitals. He wrote, "Necessary action has been taken against medical staff who ask patients to get medicines from private pharmacies instead of providing them free medicines at the hospital. Making free medicines available to patients at all primary health centres, community health centres, taluk, and district hospitals in the state is the primary objective of our government."
Discussing medical supplies, Rao said that the government has already successfully addressed issues related to tendering processes. With the necessary drug supply to all government hospitals rising to 70 to 80 percent, the government aims to ensure this supply level reaches 100 percent. The list of medicines available in hospitals has expanded from around 300 to over 1,000, and all these medicines will be provided to patients free of cost, he assured.
"No patient should be denied medication at a hospital, as our government is focused on providing free health facilities. We have implemented the special 'Gruha Arogya' programme for this purpose. Diabetic patients and those with high blood pressure will receive free medicines, which will be delivered to their homes," the health minister stated.
