Thousands in the UK take Johnson & Johnson to court
Marketplace Morning Report
Marketplace
4.5 • 927 Ratings
🗓️ 16 October 2025
⏱️ 8 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
From the BBC World Service: A major legal claim has been filed in the United Kingdom against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, accusing the firm of knowingly selling baby powder contaminated with asbestos. The case mirrors American litigation, where billions of dollars in damages have been awarded to plaintiffs. Plus, President Donald Trump says India will stop buying Russian oil. And, how can countries outside the biggest players — the U.S. and China — get plugged into AI infrastructure?
Transcript
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| 0:58.2 | Thousands of people are taking a pharmaceutical giant to court over claims one of its products is linked to cancer. |
| 1:05.1 | Live from the UK, this is the Marketplace Morning Report from the BBC World Service. I'm William Lee Adams. Good morning. |
| 1:12.5 | We begin in the UK where Johnson & Johnson is being sued by 3,000 people who say the company knowingly sold baby powder contaminated with carcinogens, including asbestos. |
| 1:23.3 | Johnson and Johnson denies the allegations. The BBC's Chloe Hayward reports. |
| 1:27.3 | For decades, Johnson and Johnson's baby powder was. The BBC's Chloe Hayward reports. |
| 1:32.6 | For decades, Johnson and Johnson's baby powder was marketed as safe for infants and families. |
| 1:41.0 | But a new group action alleges that internal documents show that company executives knew the powder contained cancer-linked fibrous minerals, |
| 1:46.3 | including asbestos, yet failed to warn consumers. The civil lawsuit involves more than 3,000 claimants all who say they use the baby powder for an extended period |
| 1:51.4 | and are now suffering from severe illnesses, including ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. The case mirrors |
| 1:58.8 | massive litigation in the US where billions of dollars and damages have been |
| 2:02.3 | awarded to the plaintiffs. UK lawyers say this case could become the largest product liability |
| 2:07.5 | case in British history. J&J denies the allegations, insisting its powder met regulatory standards |
| 2:14.2 | and doesn't cause cancer. The BBC's Chloe Hayward. Swiss food company |
| 2:20.1 | Nestle, known for brands like Nespresso and Kit Kat, is cutting 16,000 jobs worldwide over the |
| 2:26.1 | next two years. That's around 6% of its workforce. The food and drink giant hopes to save |
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