New Janssen group targeting unmet global health needs

BEERSE, Belgium – Janssen, the pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson, announced the formation of Janssen Global Public Health (Janssen GPH), an important new group unifying Janssen's commitment to research, develop, and deliver transformational medicines to address the world's greatest unmet public health needs.

Janssen GPH will align the company's ground-breaking science and innovative access models under a single entity to drive better health outcomes, improve quality of life for patients, and sustainably advance health for people all over the world.

"To solve today's greatest public health challenges, it's essential that we emphasize the needs of the developing world in equal measure to those of the developed world," said Paul Stoffels, M.D., chief scientific officer, Johnson & Johnson, and chairman of Janssen. "With this new group, we've adopted a more focused approach to further develop and introduce our most promising medicines, and with other like-minded organizations, we look forward to advancing a sustainable platform that will make a significant impact on the lives of people around the world."

Janssen GPH will be responsible for clinical and product development and creating and implementing innovative new access strategies for a growing portfolio of pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and services for diseases significantly impacting resource-limited countries and emerging markets, and includes:

SIRTURO? (bedaquiline) Janssen GPH is overseeing the development and implementation of a global access framework for SIRTURO, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as part of combination therapy in adults with pulmonary multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in December 2012 and by Russian regulatory authorities in October 2013. In June 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) published interim policy guidance on the medicine's use following a rigorous review process by internal and external TB experts convened by the WHO within six months of its US approval.

Long-acting rilpivirine (TMC278-LA, RPV-LA) Investments will continue in clinical research toward the development of a long-acting, injectable version of the HIV medicine rilpivirine, a delivery method allowing less frequent dosing. In September 2013, Janssen entered into a licensing agreement with PATH, an international non-profit organization that transforms global health through innovation, for the early development of rilpivirine in a long-acting injection as potential pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) against HIV infection. This novel approach has the potential to significantly improve treatment outcomes in hard-to-reach areas of the developing world.

Dapivirine microbicidal ring Work will continue with the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM), a non-profit organization dedicated to developing new HIV prevention technologies for women in developing countries, toward the development of the investigational HIV medicine dapivirine for use as a monthly vaginal microbiNike Zoom Vomero 14