A Missouri State court has ordered the US pharma and healthcare group, Johnson & Johnson, to pay $55m (€47m) to a woman who claimed that using the company’s talc-powder products caused her to develop ovarian cancer.

The verdict, which Johnson & Johnson plans to appeal, is the second of about 1,200 lawsuits that the company is facing alleging that it gave inadequate warnings about the product’s cancer risks.

The same court awarded $72m in February to the family of a woman who died from ovarian cancer.

A spokesperson for the company said that the verdict contradicted 30 years of research which has indicated that the use of cosmetic talc is safe.

The plaintiff, Gloria Ristesund used J&J’s talc-based powder products for decades before being diagnosed with ovarian cancer - she subsequently underwent a hysterectomy and other related surgeries.

The court ruled that J&J had not done enough to inform customers that talc was linked to an increased risk for ovarian cancer - J&J argued that it has acted properly when developing and marketing these products.