06:05 PM EDT, 03/27/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) welcomed a US federal judge's ruling that the company will have a fresh chance to contest the scientific evidence linking talc to ovarian cancer.

In his ruling, District Judge Michael Shipp in Trenton, New Jersey, said recent changes in the law and new scientific evidence requires a fresh review of the evidence, Reuters reported Wednesday.

"We are very pleased that the court recognizes the need to reexamine these critical issues," Johnson & Johnson Worldwide Vice President of Litigation Erik Haas said in an emailed statement to MT Newswires. "The passage of time has only solidified the decades of medicine and science that support Johnson & Johnson's ( JNJ ) position in these cases."

As Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) pursues several paths for a resolution of the legal disputes surrounding its talc product, the company has reached a tentative agreement to pay $700 million to settle a probe by over 40 US states into the marketing of its baby powder.

"It is also critical to shine a light on some of the made-for-court junk science that the company has unfortunately uncovered in recent trials," Haas said. "We look forward to this opportunity to examine this crucial evidence."

Leigh O'Dell and Michelle Parfitt, the lead lawyers for plaintiffs in federal litigation, said the scientific evidence that Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) products led to cancer is "stronger than ever," Reuters reported.

Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) shares were little changed in recent after-hours activity.

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