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After months of radio silence from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), lawmakers are pressing the nation\u2019s top legal officer for updates on a 2019 probe into Johnson & Johnson\u2019s talcum powder sales.<\/span><\/p>\n Wednesday, congress members Steve Cohen of Tennessee\u2019s 9th district and Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut\u2019s 3rd district <\/span>penned<\/span>\u00a0separate letters to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland <\/span>demanding<\/span><\/a> (PDF) an update on the probe. The investigation first came to light in 2019 after J&J had disclosed the receipt of federal subpoenas into its talc-based products.<\/span><\/p>\n At the time, federal investigators were believed to be looking into whether J&J misled the public with statements that its talc had always been asbestos-free. Documents from the 1960s and 1970s had surfaced showing J&J employees detected the now-known carcinogen in the product and debated internally about how to respond.<\/span><\/p>\n J&J did not immediately respond to Fierce Pharma\u2019s request for comment on the latest pressure from lawmakers Cohen and DeLauro.<\/span><\/p>\n J&J had stood by its iconic talc-based products for years, repeatedly asserting its product is asbestos-free and does not cause cancer.<\/span><\/p>\n Even still, J&J last month said it would <\/span>pull<\/span><\/a> its talcum powder from the global market in 2023, citing a “commercial decision.” The move comes about two years after J&J made a similar move in the U.S. and Canada.<\/span><\/p>\n Wednesday, Tennessee\u2019s Cohen wrote to Garland that J&J was “aware” of contamination in its talc powder and of the “potential health risks” of long-term use. He encouraged Garland to leverage the DOJ\u2019s full resources to complete its investigation as quickly as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn my decades of public service, I have rarely encountered such nefarious and discriminatory corporate conduct,\u201d the congressman continued.<\/span><\/p>\n For her part, Connecticut\u2019s DeLauro said she was writing on behalf of thousands of women who\u2019ve developed ovarian cancer and hundreds of men and women who\u2019ve developed mesothelioma after using J&J’s talc powders. She said FDA testing and internal J&J documents have shown the company\u2019s baby powder and other talc products have \u201ccontained asbestos and other carcinogens for decades.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Even after J&J’s decision to discontinue sales of the product, the company still faces tens of thousands of injury lawsuits in the U.S. In a bid to try to get a handle on the issue, J&J is employing a legal maneuver called the “Texas Two Step,” under which it has established a subsidiary to house the legal claims. That subsidiary has declared bankruptcy, and J&J has <\/span>offered<\/span><\/a> a $2 billion settlement, which plaintiffs argue is unreasonably low.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n