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Listerine cancer claim triggers court battle
Bitter taste... Studies have linked mouthwash to cancer.
A company that makes oral cancer detection tests is suing Listerine-maker Johnson & Johnson over claims the company stymied sales of the tests to protect the image of its mouthwash.
Oral Cancer Prevention International has launched a $US60 million ($56.8m) lawsuit in a New Jersey court arguing Johnson & Johnson pressured one of its subsidiary companies - OraPharma - to breach a sales agreement it had made with OCPI in early 2010 to distribute the Oral CDx Brush Test.
The brush test kit can be used by dentists to detect the presence of pre-cancerous cells in the mouth.
Some studies have linked mouthwashes with high alcohol content to cancer and OCPI alleges Johnson & Johnson, one of the world's biggest companies, was particularly concerned by a 2008 study in the Australian Dental Journal that concluded such products could cause oral cancer.
OCPI claims its product was sidelined by OraPharma soon after the sales agreement was put in place.
As part of its claim, OCPI alleges sales of Listerine in Australia dropped by approximately 50 per cent following the release of the Australian study, which concluded there was ‘‘sufficient evidence’’ that ‘‘alcohol-containing mouthwashes contribute to the increased risk of development of oral cancer''.
It is alleged Johnson & Johnson did not want its dental sales force – which sold Listerine to dentists – pushing a product that raised awareness of a link between its product and oral cancer.
OCPI founder and chief executive Mark Rutenberg said it was a case of concealment on the part of Johnson & Johnson, which he claims wanted to hide the fact "studies had shown there was a problem with Listerine and oral cancer," The Guardian reports.
Mr Rutenberg said that Listerine sales in the US exceeded $US1 billion a year.
The lawsuit alleges the effects of sidelining the OCPI brush test is that an estimated 7300 cases of otherwise preventable cases of oral cancer would have occurred throughout the US.
The test is recommended by the American Dental Association and is clinically proven to be effective in the early detection of oral cancer, which is often not detected until in its advanced stages. Oral cancer has been linked to alcohol and smoking and symptoms include loss of teeth and bleeding.
In 2009, Johnson & Johnson launched an alcohol-free product Listerine Zero to be sold along with its traditional mouthwashes in the United States, which contain up to 26 per cent alcohol.
In the same year, the American Dental Association said "available evidence" did not support a link between oral cancer and alcohol-containing mouthwash.
Bitter taste... Studies have linked mouthwash to cancer.
A company that makes oral cancer detection tests is suing Listerine-maker Johnson & Johnson over claims the company stymied sales of the tests to protect the image of its mouthwash.
Oral Cancer Prevention International has launched a $US60 million ($56.8m) lawsuit in a New Jersey court arguing Johnson & Johnson pressured one of its subsidiary companies - OraPharma - to breach a sales agreement it had made with OCPI in early 2010 to distribute the Oral CDx Brush Test.
The brush test kit can be used by dentists to detect the presence of pre-cancerous cells in the mouth.
Some studies have linked mouthwashes with high alcohol content to cancer and OCPI alleges Johnson & Johnson, one of the world's biggest companies, was particularly concerned by a 2008 study in the Australian Dental Journal that concluded such products could cause oral cancer.
OCPI claims its product was sidelined by OraPharma soon after the sales agreement was put in place.
As part of its claim, OCPI alleges sales of Listerine in Australia dropped by approximately 50 per cent following the release of the Australian study, which concluded there was ‘‘sufficient evidence’’ that ‘‘alcohol-containing mouthwashes contribute to the increased risk of development of oral cancer''.
It is alleged Johnson & Johnson did not want its dental sales force – which sold Listerine to dentists – pushing a product that raised awareness of a link between its product and oral cancer.
OCPI founder and chief executive Mark Rutenberg said it was a case of concealment on the part of Johnson & Johnson, which he claims wanted to hide the fact "studies had shown there was a problem with Listerine and oral cancer," The Guardian reports.
Mr Rutenberg said that Listerine sales in the US exceeded $US1 billion a year.
The lawsuit alleges the effects of sidelining the OCPI brush test is that an estimated 7300 cases of otherwise preventable cases of oral cancer would have occurred throughout the US.
The test is recommended by the American Dental Association and is clinically proven to be effective in the early detection of oral cancer, which is often not detected until in its advanced stages. Oral cancer has been linked to alcohol and smoking and symptoms include loss of teeth and bleeding.
In 2009, Johnson & Johnson launched an alcohol-free product Listerine Zero to be sold along with its traditional mouthwashes in the United States, which contain up to 26 per cent alcohol.
In the same year, the American Dental Association said "available evidence" did not support a link between oral cancer and alcohol-containing mouthwash.
