Today Bill Weldon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson, and Colleen Goggins, Worldwide Chairman, Consumer Group, Johnson & Johnson, are appearing before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to discuss the McNeil Consumer Healthcare product recalls. Bill and Colleen will update the Committee on the implementation of McNeil’s remediation plan and address the Committee’s concerns around our handling of these situations and dealings with the FDA.
Here is an excerpt from Bill’s testimony:
We have made considerable progress, and we are working quickly to resolve any outstanding issues and resume production of our children’s liquid products. … I am committed to working cooperatively with the Committee and the FDA to get the McNeil products back on the shelves for the people who rely on them. We look forward to earning back the trust of all those who have depended upon Johnson & Johnson to take care of themselves and their families for decades.
For further details, click here for the full testimony from Bill and here to read Colleen’s testimony.
If you’re searching for the largest solar panel installation in New Jersey, look no further than Titusville, NJ. Today, the campus of Janssen, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen powered up its 4.1 megawatt (MW) solar installation, making it the largest in the state.
It is estimated that the installation can provide up to 70% of the facility’s electricity needs. Made up of 13,496 ground-mounted panels, it is also the largest solar array among the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies around the world. This aerial photo below gives you a better idea of the magnitude of the installation.
Photo by TJ Klein
The Titusville campus is just one of 20 solar power systems worldwide that Johnson & Johnson has planned or completed. These sites will make up an installed capacity of around 13 megawatts.
Every day is a challenge when living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and for Danielle Stephens, who has been living with RA for more than 10 years, it is essential that she look and feel confident.
Danielle recently learned style tips in the latest episode of New Way RA™ featuring Clinton Kelly, co-host of TLC’s What Not to Wear. In the episode, Clinton demonstrated hints and tricks to help those living with RA dress to impress, even when they aren’t feeling their best. According to Clinton, simple tricks such as buying elastic bracelets and finding stylish items without buttons can help those with RA greet each day with confidence.
I had a chance to catch up with Danielle, and I wanted to share a few things I gleaned from the conversation with her.
According to Danielle, it is important to feel confident about yourself:
“…because when you have rheumatoid arthritis, you don’t have a choice as to if you feel good or if you feel bad when you wake up. If you look and feel confident, you’re not going to focus on the pain that you have, you’re going to focus on the fact that you look good.”
Danielle found Clinton’s tips on layering her clothes and different types of jewelry the most helpful. Since taping the episode, Danielle said she has incorporated many pieces of jewelry into her style. For Danielle, wearing chunky jewelry helps cover up her joints when they are swollen from RA. As she explained to me:
“It gives me the confidence to put myself out there. People see Danielle, not Danielle with rheumatoid arthritis.”
Dressing well allows Danielle to display her bubbly personality and outgoing demeanor through her personal style. Danielle knows firsthand how difficult it can be for someone with RA to get dressed in the morning. I asked Danielle how incorporating Clinton’s tips into her everyday fashion has made her feel and she told me:
“I feel like I can take on the world even if I might be feeling sore and stiff on the inside.”
New Way RA™, sponsored by Centocor Ortho Biotech, is in its second season of providing advice and support to those living with RA. Episodes featuring tips and advice from experts can be viewed online along with a host of information for those managing this chronic condition.
Watch Clinton and Danielle’s episode of New Way RA™ at www.newwayra.com.
Johnson & Johnson just announced the launch of Every Mother, Every Child – a comprehensive, five-year effort to improve the health of women and children in developing countries. The initiative comes in response to the call by the Secretary General of the United Nations in April 2010 for a renewed global effort to achieve the Millennium Development Goals to reduce death and disease in women and children by 2015.
More materials on this initiative can be found on www.jnj.com – and I’ve also pasted a video overview of the program below.
The Every Mother, Every Child effort includes new initiatives, such as in m-Health; builds and expands on some of Johnson & Johnson’s existing philanthropic programs, including a quadrupling of our donation of medicine to treat intestinal parasites in children , and it underscores the Company’s commitment to research and development to treat and prevent HIV and tuberculosis. We have posted about some of our existing programs in the past here on this blog. I thought I’d highlight a few of these JNJBTW posts here:
Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV
Since 2003, Johnson & Johnson has dedicated resources to the prevention of mother-to-child transmission, notably through its support of mothers2mothers. Here’s some perspectives on the existing program that we shared on JNJBTW over the past few years:
In “Preventing HIV Infection in Newborns,” published on July 16, 2010, Anu Gupta, MD, from our Corporate Contributions Group, discussed the company’s relationship with the mothers2mothers program.
In “Robin Smalley and mothers2mothers,” published on Aug. 10, 2010, Brittany Hume, also from our Corporate Contributions Group, shared her experiences working with the founder of the mothers2mothers program.
Intestinal Worms in Children
A debilitating and often neglected infection of intestinal worms affects millions of people, but is especially dire for children since it causes malnutrition and increases susceptibility to other, serious infections. In partnership with Johnson & Johnson, Children Without Worms now distributes 50 million doses of mebendazole, a treatment for worms, each year and supports comprehensive hygiene education efforts to reach children. This program will be ramped up to quadruple the doses we provide annually. Below are some posts about our relationship with this organization:
In “Partnering to Keep Kids Free of Infection,” published on April 15, 2010, Bill Lin from the Johnson & Johnson Corporate Contributions Group was interviewed by Melissa Waggenspack about what our partnership with Children Without Worms has focused on to date.
In “World Health Day,” published on April 6, 2010, Mark Krajnak from our Corporate Communication group shared some photos from a trip to Nicaragua and highlights the need to focus on preventing infection from intestinal worms.
Development for Tuberculosis Treatment
In 2008, 3.6 million women became ill and 700,000 died from TB. TB is the leading cause of death for women with HIV. The Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Tibotec is currently developing TMC207, an investigational therapy for the treatment of MDR-TB. In June, 2009, Tibotec announced a collaboration with the TB Alliance to share expertise and resources in the development of TMC207 and to develop and bring to market new treatments for TB.
By Paul Stoffels, Global Head, Pharmaceuticals Research & Development, Johnson & Johnson
This morning, Johnson & Johnson and an independent selection committee of world renowned scientists are proud to announce the winners of the 2010 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research.
After careful review of more than 125 nominations of top scientists from 28 countries, the Selection Committee chose Dr. Erik De Clercq, Professor Emeritus, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Leuven, Belgium, and Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. Drs. De Clercq and Fauci were selected for their pioneering work in understanding and combating viral diseases, particularly HIV/AIDS.
Having personally worked with Dr. Paul on the research and development of treatments for people living with HIV/AIDS, I could not be more pleased with the Selection Committee’s decision. When AIDS was discovered in the early 1980s, we didn’t understand the virus and had very few tools to help patients. While many challenges remain, thanks to breakthroughs by scientists like Dr. De Clercq and Dr. Fauci, as well as Dr. Paul and his team, many people with HIV are now able to live long and productive lives.
Dr. Paul, as he was known to us familiarly, was one of the most productive scientists of our day and a true inspiration. He helped save millions of lives through his contribution to the discovery and development of more than 80 medicines from a variety of fields, including psychiatry, pain and HIV/AIDS.
The 2010 Award winners embody the leadership and passion of Dr. Paul. They have dedicated their lives to better understanding and bringing solutions for many infectious diseases, particularly HIV/AIDS, and in that way have positively impacted the lives of millions of patients.
Through the Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research, we are pleased to recognize and reward their passion and creativity in biomedical science and to underscore Johnson & Johnson’s commitment to scientific excellence in the advancement of healthcare knowledge while fulfilling its responsibility in the community.
To learn more about The Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research, visit www.pauljanssenaward.com. You can also view our posts on the 2008 and 2009 awards.
Editor’s Note: The following is from Robert Bazemore, Jr., President of our Centocor Ortho Biotech, Inc. company.
Recently, I had the honor of meeting Gordon Kenyon, an incredibly brave, young individual with late-stage, metastatic prostate cancer, who was accompanied by his wife, Kim. They recounted how tests for an unexpected back injury ultimately revealed that he had prostate cancer-induced bone fractures. The unanticipated and devastating news about advanced prostate cancer turned his life upside down, as he and his family were immediately faced with a host of decisions.
Since his diagnosis, this former Marine, tri-athlete and father of three young children has undergone several treatments in an attempt to win the upper hand over the disease. His wife gives the term “pillar of strength” new meaning, seeking out the latest information and resources while he focuses on maintaining his health and providing for the long-term needs of his family. His captivating story impressed upon me the need for new treatment options as well as the critical role of education and support services to manage the baggage that accompanies this disease.
Prostate cancer is often misunderstood. About 32,000 men are estimated to die this year from the disease in the U.S. alone – enough men to fill approximately 400 metropolitan buses, including standing passengers – or 77 Boeing 747-400 airplanes. It’s also the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men in the United States. Yet, despite these staggering numbers, there’s often the misperception that prostate cancer is less dangerous than other cancers.
Legendary golf champion and prostate cancer survivor Arnold Palmer joins Centocor Ortho Biotech and Us TOO to launch My Prostate Cancer Roadmap, a special resource for advanced prostate cancer patients and their loved ones. My Prostate Cancer Roadmap helps these patients and those who care about them navigate, via a GPS format, a plethora of issues related to the disease, including health and wellness, work and relationships – as well as more difficult topics, such as sex and intimacy. This resource offers two paths – one for men with advanced prostate cancer and the other for family, friends and caregivers – to help address their related, but unique, needs.
In honor of National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, I invite you to join our journey to raise awareness of advanced prostate cancer by visiting My Prostate Cancer Roadmap and sharing it with the men in your life.
The recent flooding in Pakistan has devastated the region. One-fifth of the country, an area about the size of Italy, is now underwater, and entire villages have been swept away. It is estimated that 15 million people have been displaced by the flooding. Johnson & Johnson has distributed three Johnson & Johnson Disaster Relief Modules to the region, which include items such as sutures, wound dressings, BAND-AID Brand Adhesive Bandages, Neosporin and emergency medicine. In addition to these modules, Johnson & Johnson is providing cash and product donations, and working with partners in the area to give immediate assistance to the victims.
Johnson & Johnson companies and individual employees from around the world have joined in contributing to the Pakistan relief efforts. Our colleagues at Johnson & Johnson Pakistan have been working with local emergency relief organizations in Pakistan to distribute flood relief kits to victims in the region. These kits contain emergency medicine among other items.
The Citizen’s Foundation, with support from Johnson & Johnson, is dispensing ration packs that consist of food, water-purifying packs and basic medicines. These ration packs provide enough materials to sustain a family of 5 for an entire month. Since the flooding, TCF has distributed packs to nearly 2,000 families.
Johnson & Johnson is also working with our longtime partners in the region – AmeriCares, Direct Relief International, Heart to Heart, UNICEF, and World Vision – to dispense continuing aid to those affected by this tragedy. Those of us at Johnson & Johnson will offer ongoing support as efforts continue to rebuild Pakistan.
You can read more about our efforts in Pakistan and the partners Johnson & Johnson works with on our corporate website. Visit their websites to find out how you can help.
Johnson & Johnson employees and Edhi Foundation staff with flood relief packages.
comment