"As part of a worldwide portfolio assessment, we have made the commercial decision to transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio," it said, adding that cornstarch-based baby powder was already sold in countries around the world.

In 2020, J&J announced it would stop selling its talc baby powder in the United States and Canada because demand had fallen after what it called "misinformation" about the product's safety amid a barrage of legal challenges.

The company faces about 38,000 lawsuits from consumers and their survivors claiming its talc products cause cancer due to contamination with asbestos, a known carcinogen.

J&J denies the allegations, saying decades of scientific testing and regulatory approvals have shown its talc to be safe and asbestos-free.

On Thursday, it reiterated the statement as it announced the discontinuation of the product.

J&J spun off subsidiary LTL Management in October, assigned its talc claims to it and immediately placed it into bankruptcy, pausing the pending lawsuits.

Those suing have said Johnson & Johnson should have to defend itself against the lawsuits, while defendants of J&J and the bankrupt subsidiary process say it is an equitable way to compensate claimants.

Ben Whiting, a lawyer with the plaintiffs firm Keller Postman, said because the lawsuits were paused in bankruptcy, the company's sales decision would not immediately affect them.

But if a federal appellate court allowed the cases to move forward, the consumers could try to use Johnson & Johnson's decision to pull the products as evidence, Whiting said.

Before the bankruptcy filing, the company faced costs from $US3.5 billion in verdicts and settlements, including one in which 22 women were awarded a judgment of more than $US2 billion, according to bankruptcy court records.

A shareholder proposal calling for an end to global sales of the talc baby powder failed in April.

Australian Associated Press