In an attempt to further their development of flu vaccines and antibodies, Johnson & Johnson has partnered with Crucell. The partnership, which involves Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, will also work to fight other types of diseases but will immediately focus on prevention and treatment of the flu.
Paul Stoffels of Johnson & Johnson recently talked about how a universal vaccine for flu strains would be a huge help in the health care industry.
Said Stoffels: “A universal antibody or vaccine that protects against a broad range of strains would be an important advance in helping doctors and nurses manage the …read more

Each year, Johnson & Johnson hands out the Dr. Paul Janssen Award to salute the most creative and passionate scientists who have had a hand in improving human health. This year, Johnson & Johnson gave the 2009 Dr. Paul Janssen Award to Dr. Axel Ullrich.
Dr. Ullrich, a native of Germany, is known for his many advancements including a personalized medicine therapy that fights a certain type of breast cancer and recombinant insulin for combating diabetes.
Said Harlan Weisman of Johnson & Johnson: “Dr. Ullrich’s pioneering research translated genomics-based discoveries into new treatments that improve the lives of millions of patients. …read more

A report released by Johnson & Johnson has revealed that the $11 billion orthopedics market has suffered a distinct lack of sales in the second quarter, judging from J&J’s lack of replacement hip and knee sales. Analysts have quickly blamed the sales slowdown on the recession, which has caused many potential patients to hold off on their orthopedic surgeries.
 
As a result of J&J’s report, shares in orthopedics companies dropped today. Although underperformance is mostly expected in the business world due to the recession, analysts have expressed their concerns that the orthopedics industry may be struggling more than expected.
 
J&J’s main competitors …read more

Johnson & Johnson has decided to invest up to $1.5 billion in Irish Elan Corp., marking a costly move into the search for a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Elan is a biopharmaceutical company that has performed significant research on drugs that could stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and on a vaccine that would eliminate the disease completely.
 
The investment sent Elan’s shares up 8.6 percent, from $7.00 to $7.60. On the other hand, Johnson & Johnson’s stock fell 1.9 percent to $55.98 per share. This move will make the latter company an extremely important factor in the market of Alzheimer’s …read more

Johnson & Johnson said that Abbott Laboratories infringed on their patented arthritis treatments. On Monday, a United States federal judge agreed. The verdict? A whopping $1.67 billion for Johnson & Johnson.
The money was awarded to Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc., which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.
Said Kim Taylor, Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc.’s President: “We are pleased that the jury has ruled in our favor in the patent litigation case against Abbott.
“We are particularly gratified that the jury recognized our valuable intellectual property, finding our patent both valid and infringed. We will continue to assert intellectual property rights for …read more

Johnson & Johnson announced today that they’d be laying off 900 employees from their Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceutical business unit. Most of the positions on the chopping block are in sales, a representative said.
This is just part of an overall hiring freeze and position reduction plan for the company, though they’re mum on just how many employees will be laid off when it is all said and done. They currently employee about 119,000 people around the world. Ortho-McNeil-Janssen alone have several divisions.
Almost all pharmaceutical companies have laid off employees recently, and the economy is only partly to blame. Within the past few …read more

Johnson & Johnson offers some insight in nutrition for those over 60. The following video gives some tips on maintaining a well-rounded diet throughout your entire life.

In a second round of legal battles, health care products behemoth Johnson & Johnson has lost steam in its lawsuit against the American Red Cross for their use of the red cross emblem on products for sale. The Red Cross is being sued for using the red cross?
Let me explain.
The American Red Cross (ARC) was founded by Clara Barton in 1881. As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent humanitarian movement, the ARC was free to use the red cross emblem in any way deemed appropriate by its approval years earlier in the Geneva Conventions of 1864. The …read more