🔻Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has proposed paying an amount of up to $5.5 billion to settle tens of thousands of lawsuits in the United States; lawsuits in which it is claimed that the company’s baby powder and other products containing talc cause ovarian cancer.

The aim of this important proposed settlement is to end a long-running legal dispute that has cast a shadow over the operations of this health and wellness giant for years.

J&J has consistently rejected the claim that products containing talc are cancer-causing and has also changed the formula and composition of its best-selling baby powder.

Eric Haas, the company’s vice president for legal disputes, said on Monday that the allegations are “baseless,” but that J&J is willing to reach a payment agreement in order to finalize the case.

The company said the settlement would cover about 76,000 lawsuits and would include a large portion of the remaining talc-related claims.

According to the company, it is expected to pay up to $3 billion next year and that no further payments will be made before 2028.