New York, Jan 30, 2026, 13:07 EST — Regular session
- JNJ held steady around midday after a U.S. judge dismissed a fraud lawsuit connected to its talc bankruptcy plan.
- The company also highlighted a positive opinion from the EU medicines panel supporting expanded use of AKEEGA for prostate cancer.
- Traders are keeping an eye on any appeal developments in the talc case and awaiting the next move in Europe regarding the AKEEGA label.
Johnson & Johnson shares held steady in midday trading Friday after a U.S. judge threw out a lawsuit alleging the company committed fraud to route talc claims through bankruptcy. The company also announced that a European drug panel supported a wider label for its AKEEGA prostate cancer treatment.
Talc litigation continues to pose a headline risk, capable of jolting sentiment despite steady business performance. Court decisions that trim the scope of the legal battle or adjust its timeline usually have a stronger impact than routine market moves.
Investors have been swift to back unmistakable growth signals in newer drugs, particularly in oncology. A positive nod from a European regulator often serves as an early indicator, though it doesn’t seal the deal.
JNJ slipped roughly 0.1% to $227.06 in early afternoon trading, bouncing between a low of $225.34 and a high of $228.40. The S&P 500 ETF dropped around 0.6%, even as the health care sector ETF edged up about 0.2%.
Michael Shipp rejected claims from five cancer plaintiffs who argued that J&J’s bankruptcy delays amounted to fraud, noting they failed to prove any concrete harm from the hold on their talc cases. Plaintiffs’ attorney Patricia Kipnis said she disagreed with the ruling and was reviewing options with her clients, including an appeal. Meanwhile, Erik Haas, J&J’s worldwide vice president of litigation, dismissed the claims as “wholly meritless.” Reuters
The dispute revolves around the “Texas two-step,” a tactic where liabilities get transferred to a new entity that then files for bankruptcy, halting lawsuits automatically. J&J maintains its talc products are asbestos-free and safe; meanwhile, tens of thousands of plaintiffs claim otherwise.
J&J announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), the advisory body to the European Medicines Agency, gave a positive opinion on expanding AKEEGA’s use. The drug, a combination of niraparib and abiraterone acetate, targets metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer patients with BRCA1/2 mutations. “Patients … face a more aggressive disease,” said Henar Hevia in a company statement. Charles Drake added that J&J is advancing more personalised treatments in prostate cancer care. JNJ.com
J&J noted that the CHMP opinion was backed by Phase 3 AMPLITUDE results, which showed a delay in disease progression with imaging-based progression-free survival as a primary metric. The company also pointed to an early signal of better overall survival in the BRCA subgroup, though follow-up is still underway.
The legal saga isn’t over yet. Despite Thursday’s dismissal, the talc docket remains hefty. Jury verdicts can swing unpredictably, and appeals have the power to revive cases that seemed closed at first glance.
Investors are focused on two key developments: whether the plaintiffs will appeal the talc case, and the next moves in Europe regarding AKEEGA. Under the EU’s centralised approval process, the European Commission must decide within 67 days after the CHMP opinion. If the usual timing applies, that puts a decision in early April.
