Every so often, I finish a book and just sit there, blinking, trying to absorb what I’ve just read. No More Tears was one of those books. I knew it would be shocking – it’s right there in the subtitle – but I could never imagine just how deep the rot went. This was investigative journalism at its sharpest and most unforgiving. I’m not exaggerating when I said it made me sick to my stomach, multiple times.
The Truth Behind the “Credo”
Most of us associate Johnson & Johnson with gentle baby shampoo, baby powder and wholesome branding. Their 1943 corporate credo promised a responsibility to consumers over profits. But Harris rips back the curtain on this image to show just how hollow that promise has become.
A Litany of Scandals
This book covers consumer products, prescription drugs, medical devices and vaccinations, each section just as horrific as the others. Harris dives deep into the company’s history and reveals a shocking array of products that caused real harm:
- Talc-Based Baby Powder: Once a household staple. J&J’s baby powder contained talc contaminated with asbestos. Scientists raised red flags. And rather than recall the product or switch formulas, the company doubled down – attacking scientists, discrediting research and quietly not telling the FDA.
A 1982 Harvard study found a 92% increased risk of ovarian cancer in women who regularly dusted themselves with talc. Decades later, a top epidemiologist estimated that talc-based powder might be lined to tens of thousands of deaths. The company’s response? Deny, deny, deny. - Tylenol: While the company is often praised for its handling of the 1982 cyanide poisoning crisis, Harris points out that this event created a halo effect. That legacy of trust allowed J&J to largely escape scrutiny in later years – despite multiple recalls, including one where tylenol was laced with cyanide.
- Procrit: A drug intended to help anaemic cancer patients, Procrit was heavily marketed even after it was clear it increased tumour growth and death rates. Harris reports a private estimate of hundreds of thousands of lives lost, and yet the company kept pushing it. Sales materials downplayed the risks and J&J lobbied hard to keep the drug widely used.
- Risperdal: Marketed to children and the elderly, this antipsychotic drug was linked to dangerous side effects like stroke, cardiac events, and gynecomastia (breast growth) in boys. Worse still, it was marketed illegally for off-label uses. In nursing homes, staff were found using it to sedate vulnerable elderly patients, sometimes diagnosing them with schizophrenia purely to justify its use and avoid regulatory scrutiny. Sales reps handed out branded lollipops and LEGO kits – tokens aimed at making the drug seem harmless.
- Prolift Mesh: Marketed as a revolutionary solution for pelvic organ prolapse, this mesh caused chronic pain, nerve damage, infections and painful intercourse in many patients. Internal emails from J&J staff raise concern’s about the mesh material’s potential for causing pain and hardening inside the body, yet J&J proceeded with marketing the product anyway, blaming patients and doctors for negative surgical outcomes.
- COVID-19 Vaccines: Even J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine comes under scrutiny. Harris outlines how poor manufacturing practices at subcontracted facilities led to millions of contaminated doses being discarded. Despite being promoted as a critical tool in the pandemic, the vaccine’s effectiveness and safety record suffered from quality control lapses and inconsistent oversight. It was eventually pulled from circulation due to concerns about rare but serious side effects like blood clots.
Where was the FDA?
One of the most powerful threads running trough the book is the utter failure of regulatory oversight. Harris does not spare the FDA. The agency ignored warnings, avoided testing, and relied far to heavily on the companies it was supposed to regulate. At one point, we learn that Johnson & Johnson hadn’t submitted talc testing data to the FDA for over 40 years, and nobody chased it up.
In Harris’ words: “The FDA ignored, enabled, or encouraged every Johnson & Johnson disaster in this book.” And honestly? After reading it, I believe him.
Final Thoughts
This is not a light read. It’s enraging, heartbreaking, and deeply uncomfortable. But it’s also one of the most important books I’ve picked up in a while. Gardiner Harris does an incredible job of connecting the dots between corporate greed, weak regulation, and real-world harm. He spotlights the whistleblowers, the scientists, the journalists, and the grieving families – and makes sure we don’t forget them.
I closed No More Tears with a renewed sense of caution – and more than a little disgust. IT made me think about how we place blind trust in big brands, and how easily that trust can be exploited. If you’re interested in health, consumer safety, or corporate accountability – read this book. You’ll never look at a Johnson & Johnson product the same way again.
Books With Megz 