Johnson & Johnson is to stop selling its popular baby talcum powder in the US and Canada as it faces legal action over claims it can cause cancer.
It plans to wind down sales of the product, which makes up about 0.5% of its consumer health business in the US, in the coming months with shops still selling their current stock.
However it will continue to be sold in the UK and other countries around the world.
The US company said the decision was taken following an assessment of the products on sale in North America in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
But Johnson & Johnson faces more than 16,000 lawsuits from customers who claim its talcum products, including Johnson's Baby Powder, caused their cancer as they were contaminated with asbestos.
The majority will be heard before a district judge in New Jersey.
Johnson & Johnson consistently defended the safety of its talc products and said it remains confident in their safety.
In April, a New Jersey judge ruled that thousands of people who claimed the company's talc products caused cancer can go forward with their claims, but face limits on what expert testimony will be allowed in trials.
In December Johnson & Johnson said its testing found no asbestos in its baby powder after tests undertaken by the US Food and Drug Administration found trace amounts.
The results led to the company recalling one lot of Johnson's Baby Powder in October.
The company issued a statement that reads: "Demand for talc-based Johnson's Baby Powder in North America has been declining due in large part to changes in consumer habits and fuelled by misinformation around the safety of the product and a constant barrage of litigation advertising."
The company's cornstarch-based baby powder will still be on sale in North America and other countries around the world..
