Pharmaceutical firm Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has been ordered to pay more than $55m (£40m) in compensation to an American woman who says its talcum powder caused her ovarian cancer.

Gloria Ristesund, 62, said she used J&J talc-based powder products on her genitals for decades.

The company – which faces about 1,200 similar claims – insists its products are safe and says it will appeal.

Researchers say links with ovarian cancer are unproven.

In February, Johnson & Johnson paid $72m (£51m) in a similar case.

Ms Ristesund was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2011 and had to undergo a hysterectomy and related surgeries. Her cancer is now in remission.

Following a three-week trial in a Missouri state court, she was awarded $5m in compensatory damages and $50m in punitive damages.

Jere Beasley, whose firm represents Ms Ristesund, said his client was gratified with the verdict. The jury’s decision should “end the litigation,” he said, and force J&J to settle the remaining cases.

News Express reports that Johnson & Johnson (J&J) talc-based powder products are very popular in Nigeria, where cancer is now reaching epidemic proportions. There is, however, no reported case of any suit lodged against the company by any cancer sufferer in Nigeria.

•Partly based on a BBC report.