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Appeals Court Upholds $45 Million Mesothelioma Verdict Against Johnson & Johnson
In April 2024, a Cook County, Illinois jury found that Theresa Garcia’s years of exposure to asbestos in Johnson’s Baby Powder caused her mesothelioma and awarded $45 million to her six children. The company almost immediately requested a new trial, and after that petition was rejected, it appealed the decision to an Illinois state appeals…
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Clinical Trial Shows New Drug Controls Mesothelioma in 67% of Patients
Working with scientists from Massachusetts-based biopharmaceutical company RS Oncology, researchers from the University of Vermont (UVM) have published promising Phase I clinical trial results showing that a new drug controlled mesothelioma progression in 67% of patients. The drug, called RSO-021, targets a key vulnerability in how tumor cells protect themselves, turning the cancer’s own energy-producing defenses…
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Massachusetts AG Sues Over Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma Risk at Boston-Area Bridge Project
The Massachusetts attorney general has filed suit against the state’s Department of Transportation and three private contractors, alleging that workers and nearby residents were put at risk for mesothelioma and other illnesses through exposure to asbestos and other hazardous materials. The group is accused of “numerous and repeated” violations during the demolition and reconstruction of…
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Scientists Call Networking Essential for Mesothelioma and Rare Cancer Care
A recent editorial published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology argues that specialized care networks are no longer optional for rare cancers like mesothelioma. The authors, researchers from the French Network of Rare Peritoneal Cancers (RENAPE), say they are the essential structural response to a decades-long gap between what medicine knows and the treatments that…
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1946 Shipyard Asbestos Study Used in Mesothelioma Cases Faces Retraction
Companies facing mesothelioma lawsuits have frequently cited a 1946 asbestos study as part of their defense. Now, eight decades after its publication, critics who’ve long argued that the research used flawed methodology are calling for its retraction.
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$450 Million Trust Proposed for Barretts’ Talc Mesothelioma Claims
In the face of hundreds of mesothelioma and asbestos injury claims, the parent company of defunct talc supplier Barretts Minerals has proposed contributing $450 million to an asbestos bankruptcy trust to compensate victims. But Minerals Technologies’ proposal faces significant opposition from the committee representing the majority of claimants, and the parties are still waiting for…
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Proposed Federal Rule Threatens Funding for Mesothelioma Research
Mesothelioma advocates around the country are expressing concern about a proposed rule from the federal Office of Management and Budget. If approved, the new rule could fundamentally change how federally funded scientific research is evaluated and continued, and significantly change the independent peer-review process. Historically, that process has driven every meaningful advance in mesothelioma treatment,…
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EPA Seeks Input on Legacy Asbestos Rule to Protect Against Mesothelioma
Asbestos causes mesothelioma, and advocates have spent decades attempting to get the material banned and protect against future exposure. Now, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is looking for input from the public and experts alike to develop a new regulation addressing legacy uses of the mineral, focusing specifically on exposures that occur when asbestos-containing materials…
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How Scar Tissue Affects Mesothelioma Surgery After Chemotherapy
A new study by physicians at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands is helping doctors better understand how scar tissue formed during mesothelioma treatment affects whether surgery is possible and how well it works. These findings could help doctors better choose the right patients for surgery and improve patient outcomes.
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MSK Finds Why Mesothelioma Tumors Resist Immunotherapy
Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) have uncovered a previously unknown reason why mesothelioma tumors become resistant to immunotherapy. At the same time, they’ve identified several promising strategies to reverse that resistance. Their discovery could significantly improve treatment outcomes for patients with the rare and aggressive asbestos-related cancer.
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Global Forum to Bring Together International Mesothelioma Experts
Mesothelioma experts, patients, families, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and researchers from around the world will come together on July 2, 2026, for the inaugural Global Mesothelioma Education Forum. The free international webinar has been organized by Thoracic Oncology Frontiers in collaboration with leading mesothelioma organizations worldwide. It will cover the latest developments in mesothelioma research, treatment,…
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South Carolina Supreme Court Allows Mesothelioma Claims Against English Asbestos Company
One of the most frustrating issues faced by mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer victims seeking justice has been the inability to seek compensation from foreign asbestos companies. In the past, these companies have relied on a series of strategies to keep their assets out of reach of the American justice system, but a recent decision…
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Talc Now Cited in 4 in 10 Mesothelioma Lawsuits
In a recently published report, the highly respected Washington D.C. consultancy KCIC revealed that talc exposure was cited in 4 out of 10 mesothelioma lawsuits filed in 2025. This represents a significant increase and radical shift in asbestos disease litigation — talc was cited in just 1 in 6 claims in 2021. In a related…
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Federal Funding Cut Shutters Libby Mesothelioma Clinic
The Center for Asbestos Related Disease (CARD) has served the Libby, Montana community for more than 20 years, providing advocacy and care for patients diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. But the clinic will close its doors at the end of August after its federal grant funding was not renewed. This closes a chapter…
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Asbestos Found in Children’s Toys at Walmart Extends Global Crisis
Healthcare professionals and mesothelioma advocates are sounding the alarm after more than 121,000 children’s squeeze toys were found to contain sand contaminated with tremolite asbestos. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled Orb Funkee-brand sand-filled, monkey-shaped squeeze toys that were sold at Walmart and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet stores nationwide between February 2025 and April…
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Stanford Offering New Minimally Invasive PITAC Procedure for Mesothelioma
In what is a first in North America, Northern California’s Stanford Medicine has announced that thoracic surgeon Dr. Leah Backhus performed the first PITAC procedure for mesothelioma. The groundbreaking minimally invasive operation offers real hope for patients who are not candidates for more aggressive surgery.
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Mesothelioma Treatment Receives Second Orphan Drug Designation
Two months after receiving Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Orion Pharma’s investigational drug ODM-212 has received the same benefit from the European Commission. This significant development means the treatment will receive significant incentives on both sides of the Atlantic, offering real hope for its promising new approach to treating…
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UK Court Approves Group Litigation for Mesothelioma & Ovarian Cancer Claims Against J&J
As is true in the United States, thousands of United Kingdom citizens who’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma and ovarian cancer blame asbestos in Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based baby powder for their illnesses. In what has now become the largest product liability case in British history, the country’s High Court has approved a Group Litigation Order…
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Company Fined $500,000 for Asbestos Violations and Mesothelioma Risk
A redevelopment firm that knowingly exposed workers to the risk of mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis has been ordered to pay a $500,000 criminal fine and to serve two years of probation. Applied Partners LLC, admitted to starting demolition work at a former automotive plant in Saginaw, Michigan, without first completing asbestos remediation. The federal…
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AI Performance in Measuring Mesothelioma Tumors Will Transform Treatment Decisions
According to a study published in The Lancet Oncology, physicians and researchers at the Netherlands Cancer Institute have developed an Artificial Intelligence model that outperforms human doctors in evaluating treatment response in pleural mesothelioma. This breakthrough means that disease progression can be detected five weeks earlier than the currently used criteria. It will offer patients…
