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As Johnson & Johnson continues to defend its case in lawsuits over talc’s potential to cause cancer, startling tests from the product's past have come to light.  Back in 1971, Johnson & Johnson funded a study that injected 10 Pennsylvania prisoners with asbestos, newly unsealed court documents show, as first reported by Bloomberg. J&J wanted to compare the minerals’ effect on the inmates’ skin versus talc, which is a key ingredient in the company’s popular baby powder. (Kansteiner, 3/8)

More than 50 years ago, nearly a dozen men incarcerated outside of Philadelphia enrolled in an experiment funded by Johnson & Johnson, according to unsealed documents. Now, those studies have come back to haunt the world’s largest maker of health-care products. In one study, inmates were paid to be injected with potentially cancer-causing asbestos so the company could compare its effect on their skin versus that of talc, a key component in its iconic baby powder. (Feeley, 3/7)

While the human experiments involving prisoners at Holmesburg Prison outside of Philadelphia was previously revealed in books and newspaper articles, J&J’s involvement in the studies comparing talc to asbestos was not made public until the Bloomberg report on Monday. The court documents were unsealed in two trials last year over claims that J&J’s baby powder causes cancer. J&J expressed regret over the company’s involvement with Albert Kligman, the University of Pennsylvania dermatologist who conducted the baby powder tests. But Bloomberg said that the company also noted that the tests did not violate research standards at the time. (Vinluan, 3/7)

The contingent of biotech and pharma companies condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—and pledging to help keep the beleaguered nation’s healthcare system afloat—is growing. Take Roche, for example. The Swiss pharma major on Wednesday said it would donate 150,000 packages of the antibiotic Rocephin to Ukraine. The drug is used to treat symptoms of many kinds of bacterial infections and holds a spot on the World Health Organization’s essential medicines list. (Kansteiner, 3/3)

Fresenius Kabi issued a voluntary recall of seven lots of sodium acetate intravenous fluid after testing found particulates of carbon and oxygen with traces of sodium, silicon, chromium, aluminum and cellulose. Sodium acetate injection is used to correct low blood sodium levels in patients who have restricted or no oral intake. It’s also used as an additive for preparing specific IV fluid formulas when patients cannot take standard electrolyte or nutrient solutions. (Keenan, 3/8)