Drug Discovery and Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

Johnson & Johnson pharma rebrand highlights innovation as a pillar to reinforce trust

By Brian Buntz | September 14, 2023

Johnson & JohnsonGlobal pharma and medical device giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has ditched its iconic cursive logo that dates back to the late 19th century, and rebranded its Janssen pharma division as Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine. The move underscores the company’s push to prioritize higher-margin prescription drugs. This strategic move comes amidst a backdrop of significant legal challenges the company has faced in recent years.

In the five-year period from 2018 to 2022, Johnson & Johnson was the most active defendant in medical device and pharmaceutical cases. In addition, before spinning off its consumer health division, the company was targeted in tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging J&J-branded talcum powder causes cancer. Earlier this year, a judge dismissed the company’s attempt to settle thousands of lawsuits through bankruptcy.

The chart below shows the number of cases filed against J&J-affiliated entities in the life sciences sector from 2018 to 2022. Johnson & Johnson faced the highest number of product liability cases in the pharma/medtech sphere, with the bulk of these allegations related to talcum powder products. Close behind was Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., with C. R. Bard, Inc. ranking third. Data sourced from Lex Machina:

Last month, the company, J&J wrapped up its spin-off of its consumer health division, which it christened Kenvue. The segment makes consumer products ranging from Band-Aids to Tylenol. The company retains a 9.5% share in Kenvue, which J&J may consider offloading in the coming year.

From cursive to cutting-edge: Johnson & Johnson rebrand focuses on high-margin drug innovation

J&J’s rebranded drug development segment will focus on development in oncology, immunology, neuroscience, and cardiovascular, among other areas. In July, the company ended R&D work in Janssen’s infectious disease and vaccine unit. It also pulled several programs from its infectious disease pipeline earlier this year, most of which were potential hepatitis B therapies. The moves came as part of a “prioritization” of its R&D business, according to the company’s second quarter earnings report. As a result of that strategy, it dropped experimental treatments for hepatitis B and D, flu, and some HIV candidates from its pipeline.

In its second quarter earnings call, the company noted that it planned to grow its pharma division to $60 billion by 2025. J&J plans for continued growth each year, despite key patent expirations for the blockbuster Stelara (ustekinumab) in 2025 and 2026. The company has won a growing number of indications for the drug over the years,  including for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, active psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.

Overall, CEO Joaquin Duato intends to grow the pharma division each year with “above-market compounded annual growth of at least 5%,” as he noted in the second quarter earnings call.

Duato noted in the call that its current portfolio is “underappreciated” while Chief Financial Officer Joe Wolk noted its pharma division delivered operational sales growth of 8.6% in the second quarter, excluding its ill-fated COVID-19 vaccine. “We continue to outpace the market,” Wolk said.

Sustained growth amidst headwinds

Despite headwinds, Johnson & Johnson has demonstrated a solid growth trajectory over the years, with its market capitalization hitting $415.45 billion in 2022. Despite some periods of volatility, its growth trajectory has been mostly steady over the past decades. Key acquisitions such as McNeil Consumer Products in 1982, Centocor in 1998, Scios in 2002, and Momenta Pharma in 2020 helped fuel growth. The company’s decision to jettison its consumer division and double-down on medtech and prescription pharma represents a higher-stakes strategy. It aims to capitalize on higher profit margins and innovation, while also exposing the company to the challenges of patent expirations, potential market downturns, and a more pressing need for successful research and acquisition wins.


Filed Under: Drug Discovery and Development, Immunology, Oncology
Tagged With: Cardiovascular, drug development, hepatitis B therapies, high-margin prescription drugs, Immunology, Innovative Medicine, J&J rebrand, Johnson & Johnson, Kenvue, legal challenges, Lex Machina report, Neuroscience, oncology, Stelara, talcum powder lawsuits, ustekinumab
 

About The Author

Brian Buntz

As the pharma and biotech editor at WTWH Media, Brian has almost two decades of experience in B2B media, with a focus on healthcare and technology. While he has long maintained a keen interest in AI, more recently Brian has made making data analysis a central focus, and is exploring tools ranging from NLP and clustering to predictive analytics.

Throughout his 18-year tenure, Brian has covered an array of life science topics, including clinical trials, medical devices, and drug discovery and development. Prior to WTWH, he held the title of content director at Informa, where he focused on topics such as connected devices, cybersecurity, AI and Industry 4.0. A dedicated decade at UBM saw Brian providing in-depth coverage of the medical device sector. Engage with Brian on LinkedIn or drop him an email at bbuntz@wtwhmedia.com.

Related Articles Read More >

Collage of close-up male and female eyes isolated on colored neon backgorund. Multicolored stripes. Concept of equality, unification of all nations, ages and interests. Diversity and human rights
How a ‘rising tide’ of inclusivity is transforming clinical trials
Mary Marcus appointed CEO of NewAge Industries
DNA double helix transforming into bar graphs, blue and gold, crisp focus on each strand, scientific finance theme --ar 5:4 --personalize 3kebfev --v 6.1 Job ID: f40101e1-2e2f-4f40-8d57-2144add82b53
Biotech in 2025: Precision medicine, smarter investments, and more emphasis on RWD in clinical trials
Data analytics tools help doctors analyze trends in patient outcomes and population health.
External comparator studies: What researchers need to know to minimize bias
“ddd
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest news and trends happening now in the drug discovery and development industry.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
Drug Discovery and Development
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • Medtech100 Index
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Medical Design & Outsourcing
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Subscribe to our E-Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • R&D World
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Drug Discovery & Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE