Swiss pharma giants Novartis and Roche consistently rank among the top pharma companies in terms of revenue. In 2024, the two companies are also leading in total international patent volume. Meanwhile, smaller firms like Incyte and Vertex Pharma are punching above their weight in market impact. For instance, Incyte, with a market cap of just…
Best-selling pharmaceuticals of 2023 reveal a shift in pharma landscape
[Updated May 21, 2024.] 2023 may not go down as the brightest year for the pharma sector, but the entry of Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic (semaglutide) into the ranks of top-selling drugs like Keytruda, Dupixent, and Eliquis signals a new era in the treatment of metabolic disease. Novo Nordisk’s sales jumped by more than one-third in…
Rare diseases, immense needs: J&J’s mission to change the landscape
Rare diseases may seem niche, but their impact is far from small. An estimated 7,000 rare diseases exist, collectively affecting a 300 million people worldwide. This immense burden of disease, coupled with a profound lack of treatment options, underscores the urgent need for innovation. “Actually, the total burden of disease and unmet medical need [for…
A J&J veteran highlights listening to address overlooked maternal-fetal needs
With nearly 20 years of experience at Johnson & Johnson, Cynthia Accuosti Jones now spearheads the company’s pioneering maternal-fetal medicine group tackling unmet needs in high-risk pregnancies. As vice president of global commercial strategy for autoantibody and maternal fetal health, she spotlights listening as the driver for patient impact. “You can’t have empathy if you…
Nipocalimab shows promise in RA subgroups in phase 2a IRIS-RA study
Johnson & Johnson’s nipocalimab, which works by targeting the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), has the potential to treat an array of autoimmune conditions. But the antibody recently hit a snag in the first-ever clinical study of an FcRn inhibitor in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), missing its primary endpoint. The development has sparked debate within the rheumatology…
Click chemistry breakthroughs drive Shasqi and J&J cancer alliance
In June 2023, the click chemistry-focused startup Shasqi revealed a research pact with Johnson & Johnson Enterprise Innovation. More recently, the company announced that it had expanded the research alliance, furthering work on its intratumorally injected biopolymer, known as SQL70. The collaboration will also apply its clinically validated Click Activated Protodrugs Against Cancer (CAPAC) technology…
Johnson & Johnson pharma rebrand highlights innovation as a pillar to reinforce trust
Global 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…
Johnson & Johnson launches Bay Area science and technology campus
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) has opened an almost 200,000 ft2 science and technology campus in the San Francisco Bay Area. The new facility more than doubles the company’s presence in the Bay Area, which has been a hub for life sciences innovation for decades. Up to 400 employees will work at the facility. “This campus is…
Why Janssen’s nipocalimab could represent a ‘pipeline in a pathway’
At the heart of Johnson & Johnson’s (NYSE:JNJ) $6.5 billion acquisition of Momenta Pharmaceuticals in 2020 is a portfolio of drug candidates for immune-mediated diseases. One of the promising compounds in the acquisition is nipocalimab, which Janssen sees as a potential “pipeline in a pathway.” Nipocalimab holds promise for an array of diseases, ranging from…
Janssen reports positive clinical trial data for its Xarelto to treat PAD effects
Johnson & Johnson’s (NYSE:JNJ) Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies recently announced analysis data on the benefits of Xarelto. The Phase 3 Voyager PAD clinical trial evaluated the Xarelto (rivaroxaban) vascular dose (2.5 mg twice daily plus aspirin 100 mg once daily) in reducing severe vascular events in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) after lower-extremity revascularization (LER).…
Johnson & Johnson faces another ballot battle on racial justice audit
Johnson & Johnson is fighting another shareholder proposal for an independent racial justice audit of the company. New Brunswick, New Jersey–based J&J (NYSE:JNJ) defeated a similar measure at last year’s annual meeting of shareholders, though the vote was far from a landslide. The company also unsuccessfully petitioned the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to keep…
Pharma’s top 20 R&D spenders in 2021
If 2020 underscored the importance of the pharma industry’s social importance, 2021 demonstrated the ability of R&D spenders to yield profitable commercialized products. But while strong demand for COVID-19 therapies in 2021 provided unprecedented revenue levels for a handful of Big Pharma companies, it didn’t result in substantial changes in R&D spending. (Look out for more insights…
Johnson & Johnson is bringing the world’s first drug-eluting contact lens to market
Johnson & Johnson has a potential alternative to eye drops with its drug-eluting Acuvue Theravision contact lens. As far back as the early 1960s, researchers toyed with the idea of delivering medication through contact lenses. Johnson & Johnson Vision (NYSE:JNJ) Director of Clinica Science Dr. Brian Pall told Drug Delivery Business News that patents back then disclosed how…
Janssen looks to win new indication in Europe for Imbruvica for untreated mantle cell lymphoma
Johnson & Johnson‘s Janssen unit (NYSE:JNJ) has filed a submission of a Type II variation application to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the potential approval of Imbruvica (ibrutinib) with bendamustine and rituximab (BR) to treat adults with previously untreated mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). The indication would cover patients who are not suitable for autologous…
J&J expands it long-acting injectables partnership with Midatech
Midatech Pharma (Nasdaq:MTP) announced today that it extended its R&D collaboration with Johnson & Johnson’s (NYSE:JNJ) Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Cardiff, United Kingdom-based Midatech, a drug delivery technology company focused on the biodelivery and biodistribution of medicines, initially entered into the R&D collaboration with Janssen on July 21, 2020. Get the full story at our sister site, Drug Delivery Business News.
How pharma firms stack up in terms of innovation
The pharma industry has ramped up its ability to innovate in the past couple of years. Many firms in the sector have retooled operations, rethought clinical trials and accelerated the ability to commercialize new drugs. Clarivate’s Top 100 Global Innovators 2022 report, however, cited only two pharma companies. Clarivate also projects that the level of innovation…
J&J and Roche named to Clarivate’s Top 100 Global Innovators list
Few healthcare companies were included in the annual ranking of innovative companies from the analytics firm Clarivate plc (NYSE:CLVT). Two companies in pharma and another in medtech, however, made the cut. Johnson & Johnson was featured for the second consecutive year as a top 100 Global innovator. Roche was included for the 11th consecutive year…
Janssen’s global head of R&D opens up on CAR-T research, data science and more
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen division (NYSE:JNJ) was among the first drug companies to prioritize oncology research. The company has more than three decades of experience in the domain. Recently, Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T therapy has become one of the most exciting areas of research for cancer and other diseases for the company, said Mathai Mammen, global…
CDC panel unanimously backs J&J and Moderna vaccine boosters
CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has recommended the Janssen (NYSE:JNJ) COVID-19 vaccine booster at least two months after the initial dose. The committee also recommended a booster of the Moderna’s (NSDQ:MRNA) COVID-19 vaccine for people 65 and a handful of other demographics. Also eligible for boosters are individuals at least 18 who are…
Why FDA optimized for flexibility with COVID-19 vaccine booster choice
Early data seem to suggest that mRNA vaccine boosters are more effective than additional doses of the adenovirus-vector COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. But scientists don’t currently have “any real clinical effectiveness data on this question,” said Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting FDA commissioner. To date, vaccine developers have heavily relied on antibody…
Johnson & Johnson asks FDA to authorize COVID-19 booster
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen division (NYSE:JNJ) has requested that FDA expand the emergency use authorization (EUA) for its Ad26.COV2.S COVID-19 vaccine to include boosters for people 18 and older. The previous EUA covered a single dose of the vaccine. On October 14 and 15, FDA will convene meetings of its Vaccines and Related Biological Products…
COVID-19 vaccines remain a cash cow for now
A handful of companies are making billions of dollars in revenues from COVID-19 vaccines. Especially well-positioned is Pfizer, which could earn $33.5 billion in COVID-19 vaccine sales this year, as it announced in its Q2 earnings statement. By contrast, J&J has forecasted $2.5 billion in COVID-19 vaccine sales this year, while AstraZeneca has seen sales of…
CDC study finds waning immunity in Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine recipients after four months
CDC today released comparative effectiveness data for the three COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S. in individuals without immunocompromising conditions. The study also found that protection from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine dipped four months after vaccination to 77%. The effectiveness of the Moderna vaccine at that interval was 92%. The CDC also concluded that, from March 11…
European regulators offer positive opinion on Janssen’s schizophrenia treatment
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies today announced a positive CHMP opinion on its Byannli schizophrenia treatment. The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued the positive opinion. The committee recommended using long-acting atypical antipsychotic Byannli (6-monthly paliperidone palmitate; PP6M) therapy for the maintenance treatment of schizophrenia. The recommendation…
Johnson & Johnson seeks nominees for women STEM scholars awards
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) announced that it is accepting applications for its 2022 Women in STEM2D (WiSTEM2D) Scholars Award. New Brunswick, N.J.–based Johnson & Johnson’s award aims to support assistant or associate academic professors in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, math, manufacturing and design through three years of mentorship from leaders at the company and…