US pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson is ending sales of talc-based baby powder around the world.

It comes more than a year after the company ended sales of the talc-based powder in the US and Canada.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) has faced thousands of lawsuits over the powder with consumers claiming it caused their cancer due to contamination with asbestos.

In 2018, the company was ordered to pay out around €4bn in punitive damages to impacted women. That figure was later reduced to €2bn on appeal.

The company has continued to deny the claims, insisting that testing and regulatory approvals have shown its talc to be safe.

In a statement, JNJ said it had made a “commercial decision” to discontinue the product around the world.

It noted that the cornstarch-based powder it has been selling in the US and Canada is already on sale in many countries and said the move would simplify its product offerings.

“Our position on the safety of our cosmetic talc remains unchanged,” it said.

“We stand firmly behind the decades of independent scientific analysis by medical experts around the world that confirms talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder is safe, does not contain asbestos, and does not cause cancer.”