Johnson & Johnson 　http://www.jnj.com/

Robert Wood Johnson concluded there ought to be a better way. Mr. Johnson joined with his two brothers, James Wood and Edward Mead Johnson, who had formed a partnership in 1885. Operations began in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 1886 with 14 employees on the fourth floor of a small building that once was a wallpaper factory. In 1887 the Company was incorporated as Johnson & Johnson.

Johnson & Johnson went from a privately-held company to one publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange in 1944.  

In 1982 and again in 1986 TYLENOL®, a product of our McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals subsidiary, was altered by unknown individuals who placed deadly cyanide in the capsule form of the product. The result was the death of seven people in 1982. The product was voluntarily recalled and Johnson & Johnson took a $100 million charge against earnings.

日本経済新聞　2006/6/27

ファイザーから大衆薬事業買収　J&Jが発表

　米医薬品・健康関連大手のジョンソン・エンド・ジョンソン(Ｊ＆Ｊ)は２６日、同業のファイザーから大衆薬事業を買収すると正式発表した。買収額は１６６億ドル(約１兆９３００億円）。Ｊ＆Ｊは同事業で世界シェアトップで、ファイザーからの事業買収により同部門を一段と拡大する。
　ファイザー側は中核の医療用医薬品に経営資源を集中させる狙い。売却益は自社株購入に充てる。
　Ｊ＆Ｊは売り上げが伸び悩んでおり、買収・合併による拡大を模索していた。口腔洗浄剤「リステリン」や禁煙補助剤「ニコレット」など有力商品を持つファイザーの大衆薬事業を手に入れることでテコ入れする。

2006/6/26 Johnson & Johnson 　　　　　　　　　　Pfizer発表　　Pfizer方針

Johnson & Johnson to Acquire Pfizer Consumer Healthcare; Combination Creates World's Premier Consumer Health Care Company
All Cash Transaction is Valued at $16.6 Billion
http://www.jnj.com/news/jnj_news/20060625_220255.htm

Johnson & Johnson, the world's most comprehensive and broadly based manufacturer of health care products, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Pfizer Consumer Healthcare for $16.6 billion in cash.

The Johnson & Johnson Board of Directors has given approval to the transaction. Closing is subject to customary clearances, including the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and European Union merger control regulation. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2006.

The Pfizer Consumer Healthcare business adds a diverse portfolio of strong, growing, enduring brands that provide Johnson & Johnson with leadership positions in nine additional categories, including large new segments such as smoking cessation and mouthwash.

The combined portfolio of OTC brands will solidify the global market-leading position of Johnson & Johnson's OTC franchise. Under the terms of the agreement, Johnson & Johnson will also acquire the U.S. OTC switch rights to ZYRTEC - Pfizer's once-a-day, non-sedating prescription antihistamine抗ヒスタミン剤, upon patent expiration.

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2006/6/26 Pfizer

Pfizer Reaches Agreement to Sell Its Consumer Healthcare Business to Johnson & Johnson for $16.6 Billion
http://mediaroom.pfizer.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=73

・	Company Will Use After-Tax Proceeds to Invest in New Products and Innovative Technologies and Enhance Shareholder Returns
・	Pfizer Now Expects to Purchase up to $17 Billion in Stock in 2006-7
・	CEO McKinnell: 'We Have Taken Another Important Step to Create Value for Our Shareholders While Transforming Our Company'
・	Consumer Healthcare Colleagues 'Have Done a Superb Job in Building an Outstanding Business'

Pfizer Inc said today that it has reached a definitive agreement to sell its Pfizer Consumer Healthcare (PCH) business to Johnson & Johnson for $16.6 billion in cash, resulting in about $13.5 billion in after-tax proceeds.

The agreement, approved by the Pfizer Board of Directors, completes a review of strategic options for the consumer business that Pfizer initiated in February.

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Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Actの概要

HSR法は、一定の要件を満たす資産および議決権付株式の取得に適用。HSR法は手続法。同法は、事前届出制度と待機期間を規定。
現行のHSR法上の取引規模要件は、5,000万ドル。
HSR法による「当事者規模」要件は、一般に、取引の一方当事者が1億ドル以上の資産又は売上を有し、他方当事者が1,000万ドル以上の資産又は売上を有する場合。

Jun 2, 2016   J&J 

Johnson & Johnson Announces Agreement to Acquire Vogue International
                Acquisition Strengthens Position in Hair Care

Johnson & Johnson today announced that Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Vogue International, a privately held company focused on the marketing, development and distribution of salon-influenced and nature inspired hair care and other personal care products, for approximately $3.3 billion in cash. The acquisition will include the OGX® collection of shampoos, conditioners, treatments, styling products, body care and bath products, the FX™ line of hair styling products, and the Proganix® and Maui Moisture hair care lines.
"Our acquisition of Vogue International's full line of leading advanced hair care products sold in the U.S. and in 38 countries will strengthen our global presence in this important category. Vogue International's commitment to quality, innovation, and consumer preference complement our Consumer portfolio, while also presenting attractive hair care category growth opportunities for Johnson & Johnson," said Jorge Mesquita, Worldwide Chairman, Consumer, Johnson & Johnson.
The closing is subject to antitrust clearance and other customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close during the third quarter of 2016.
Upon closing, the transaction is not expected to impact the 2016 sales or earnings guidance ranges that Johnson & Johnson announced on April 19, 2016.

September 16, 2016　

Johnson & Johnson Announces Agreement to Acquire Abbott Medical Optics

(日経）

米医薬・生活用品大手ジョンソン・エンド・ジョンソン（Ｊ＆Ｊ）は16日、米医薬品・医療機器大手アボット・ラボラトリーズの子会社、アボット・メディカル・オプティクス（ＡＭＯ）を43億2500万ドル（約4400億円）で買収すると発表した。ＡＭＯ社が強みを持つ白内障治療やレーザー治療技術などを取り込み、眼科治療関連ビジネスを強化する。

「目の健康は最も成長が早い分野で、買収により眼科ビジネスの多様化を図る」。Ｊ＆Ｊビジョンケアのカンパニーグループ会長、アシュレー・マックィボイ氏は買収発表文でこうコメントした。コンタクトレンズ「アキュビュー」を世界展開するＪ＆Ｊだが、ＡＭＯ買収で治療分野に本格的に進出する。ＡＭＯの売上高は2015年度で約11億ドル。現金で買収し、買収作業は17年３月までに完了する。

世界保健機関（ＷＨＯ）は白内障による失明が世界で約2000万人に達すると試算。今後も白内障患者は人口増に伴い増え続け、Ｊ＆Ｊは眼科治療分野の需要が大きいとみる。一方、アボットは事業の「選択と集中」を加速させ、循環器系の医療器具や診断分野に経営資源を集中させる。

Johnson & Johnson today announced a definitive agreement to acquire Abbott Medical Optics (AMO), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Abbott Laboratories, for $4.325 billion in cash. AMO reported sales of $1.1 billion for 2015. The acquisition will include ophthalmic products in three business segments: cataract surgery白内障手術, laser refractive surgery レーザー屈折矯正手術and consumer eye health.

"Eye health is one of the largest, fastest growing and most underserved segments in health care today,” said Ashley McEvoy, Company Group Chairman, responsible for Johnson & Johnson’s Vision Care Companies. “With the acquisition of Abbott Medical Optics’ strong and differentiated surgical ophthalmic portfolio, coupled with our world-leading ACUVUE® contact lens business, we will become a more broad-based leader in vision care. Importantly, with this acquisition we will enter cataract surgery – one of the most commonly performed surgeries and the number one cause of preventable blindness.”

AMO is a global leader in ophthalmic surgery and is known for world-class intraocular lenses used in cataract surgery. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 20 million people are blind from age-related cataracts and that there are at least 100 million eyes with compromised visual acuity 視力に影響するcaused by cataracts. These numbers are steadily rising due to population growth and increasing life expectancy.

In addition to the cataract business, AMO has advanced laser vision (LASIK)角膜屈折矯正手術 technologies designed to enhance surgeon productivity and correct near sightedness, far sightedness and astigmatism. The acquisition also includes AMO’s consumer eye health products – over-the-counter drops for dry eye, as well as multipurpose solutions and hydrogen peroxide cleaning systems for patients who wear contact lenses.

The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017 and would be modestly accretive immediately to adjusted earnings per share*. The closing is subject to antitrust clearance and other customary closing conditions. Following the expected closing, sales will be reported in the Medical Devices segment as a separate platform within Vision Care. not be considered a replacement for GAAP results.

ーーーーーーーー

The innovation began more than three decades ago as the ophthalmic research arm of Heyer-Schulte Medical Optics Center (HSMOC), a division of American Hospital Supply Corporation. The HSMOC would later change its name to American Medical Optics and eventually to Advanced Medical Optics, or AMO, as it is known today.

The company started business in 1976 as a pioneer in the early development of intraocular lenses (IOLs) for cataract patients.

Throughout the 1980s, AMO became known as a technology company, introducing innovative new IOLs, the first U.S.-made YAG laser, and a first-generation phacoemulsification system, for the removal of cataracts. A later generation of this technology, known as the SOVEREIGN^® System with WHITESTAR^® technology, won the prestigious Medical Design Excellence Silver Award from the Industrial Designers Society of America in 1999 for “excellence in medical product design engineering.”

In 1986, American Medical Optics was sold to Allergan, Inc. and became known as Allergan Medical Optics.

A few years later in 1989, the company brought the first small-incision foldable IOL through the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory process. Foldable lenses were a major advance in cataract surgery because they made it possible for surgeons to insert the lens through a small incision, resulting in less trauma to the eye and faster visual recovery from cataract surgery, from months to days.

In 1997, AMO launched the Array^® IOL, the first multifocal lens to be approved for commercial distribution by the FDA.

AMO became an independent company in June 2002 following a spin-off from Allergan.  

In 2004, AMO introduced the Verisyse phakic IOL for treatment of moderate to severe myopia, the first lens of its kind to receive FDA approval. The company also acquired the TECNIS^® and CeeOn^® IOLs, the HEALON^® line of viscoelastics and the BAERVELDT^® glaucoma device, marking the company's entrance into the glaucoma market. The TECNIS^® IOL is the first IOL with a modified prolate optic to have a claim for improved functional vision.

On May 27, 2005, AMO completed the acquisition of VISX, Incorporated, creating the world’s leading refractive surgical business, bringing together AMO’s expansive suite of cataract and refractive surgical products with VISX’s state-of-the-art laser vision correction systems.

The growth continued in 2007 with the addition of the industry’s leading wavefront diagnostic system and femotsecond laser through the acquisitions of WaveFront Sciences and IntraLase Corp., respectively.
These additions give AMO the advanced corneal refractive technologies with the ability to offer a full systems approach that is without peer in the industry.

In 2009, Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. was acquired by Abbott Laboratories. Today, AMO is now Abbott Medical Optics Inc. and operated as a separate entity within Abbott’s medical device division.

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Actelion  confirmed today that it has been approached by Johnson & Johnson about a possible transaction. 

There can be no certainty that a transaction will result. 

1997年12月、循環器系を専門とするJean-Paul Clozelを中心として設立された。肺動脈性肺高血圧症の経口治療薬であるボセンタンの製品化に世界で初めて成功、「トラクリア」の商品名で販売している。以後、循環器系希少病種に関する新薬開発に取り組み、エンドセリン受容体拮抗薬や、ゴーシェ病(GD1)に対応するミグルスタットやイロプロスト、グルコシルセラミド合成阻害薬や、日本新薬との提携によるプロスタグランジン受容体作動薬の開発などを行っている。

スイスを拠点に、アメリカ・オーストラリアなど世界20か国以上に拠点を持つ。

アクテリオンの買収を巡っては仏サノフィなどが買い手に浮上したこともあるが、アクテリオン経営陣は独立路線を維持していた。

アクテリオンは循環器系や中枢神経系など、幅広い領域で医薬品を構成する化合物の臨床試験に取り組んでいる。日本新薬と受容体作動薬を開発している。

Actelion Ltd. is a leading biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative drugs for diseases with significant unmet medical needs.

Actelion is a leader in the field of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH 肺動脈性肺高血圧症). Our portfolio of PAH treatments covers the spectrum of disease, from WHO Functional Class (FC) II through to FC IV, with oral, inhaled and intravenous medications. Although not available in all countries, Actelion has treatments approved by health authorities for a number of specialist diseases including Type 1 Gaucher diseaseゴーシェ病, Niemann-Pick type C diseaseニーマン・ピック病, Digital Ulcers 指潰瘍 in patients suffering from systemic sclerosis, and mycosis fungoides type cutaneous T-cell lymphoma菌状息肉腫型 皮膚T細胞リンパ腫.

Founded in late 1997, with now over 2,500 dedicated professionals covering all key markets around the world including Europe, the US, Japan, China, Russia and Mexico, Actelion has its corporate headquarters in Allschwil / Basel, Switzerland.

March 30, 2020 　
Johnson & Johnson Announces a Lead Vaccine Candidate for COVID-19;
Landmark New Partnership with U.S. Department of Health & Human Services; and Commitment to Supply One Billion Vaccines Worldwide for Emergency Pandemic Use

Johnson & Johnson and BARDA Together Commit More than $1 Billion to Novel Coronavirus Vaccine Research and Development;
Company Expects to Initiate Phase 1 Human Clinical Studies of Vaccine Candidate at Latest by September 2020
Johnson & Johnson Will Establish New U.S. Vaccine Manufacturing Capabilities and Additional Production Capacity Outside the U.S. to Begin Production at Risk to Help Ensure Global Vaccine Supply

Johnson & Johnson today announced the selection of a lead COVID-19 vaccine candidate from constructs it has been working on since January 2020; the significant expansion of the existing partnership between the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA 保険福祉省生物医学先端研究開発局); and the rapid scaling of the Company’s manufacturing capacity with the goal of providing global supply of more than one billion doses of a vaccine.

The Company expects to initiate human clinical studies of its lead vaccine candidate at the latest by September 2020 and anticipates the first batches of a COVID-19 vaccine could be available for emergency use authorization in early 2021, a substantially accelerated timeframe in comparison to the typical vaccine development process.

Through a landmark new partnership, BARDA, which is part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Johnson & Johnson together have committed more than $1 billion of investment to co-fund vaccine research, development, and clinical testing. Johnson & Johnson will use its validated vaccine platform and is allocating resources, including personnel and infrastructure globally, as needed, to focus on these efforts. Separately, BARDA and the Company have provided additional funding that will enable expansion of their ongoing work to identify potential antiviral treatments against the novel coronavirus.

As part of its commitment, Johnson & Johnson is also expanding the Company’s global manufacturing capacity, including through the establishment of new U.S. vaccine manufacturing capabilities and scaling up capacity in other countries. The additional capacity will assist in the rapid production of a vaccine and will enable the supply of more than one billion doses of a safe and effective vaccine globally. The Company plans to begin production at risk imminently and is committed to bringing an affordable vaccine to the public on a not-for-profit basis for emergency pandemic use.

Alex Gorsky, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Johnson & Johnson, said, “The world is facing an urgent public health crisis and we are committed to doing our part to make a COVID-19 vaccine available and affordable globally as quickly as possible. As the world’s largest healthcare company, we feel a deep responsibility to improve the health of people around the world every day. Johnson & Johnson is well positioned through our combination of scientific expertise, operational scale and financial strength to bring our resources in collaboration with others to accelerate the fight against this pandemic.”

Paul Stoffels, M.D., Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chief Scientific Officer, Johnson & Johnson, said, “We greatly value the U.S. government’s confidence and support for our R&D efforts. Johnson & Johnson’s global team of experts has ramped up our research and development processes to unprecedented levels, and our teams are working tirelessly alongside BARDA, scientific partners, and global health authorities. We are very pleased to have identified a lead vaccine candidate from the constructs we have been working on since January. We are moving on an accelerated timeline toward Phase 1 human clinical trials at the latest by September 2020 and, supported by the global production capability that we are scaling up in parallel to this testing, we expect a vaccine could be ready for emergency use in early 2021.”

　

ジョンソン・エンド・ジョンソンのCOVID-19のリードワクチン候補

ジョンソン・エンド・ジョンソンは2020年1月、新型コロナウイルス（COVID-19）の配列を入手するとすぐに、有望なワクチン候補を調査する取り組みを開始しました。 ヤンセンの研究チームは、ハーバード大学医学部附属病院ベス・イスラエル・ディーコネス・メディカルセンター（BIDMC）と共同で、ヤンセンのAdVac® 技術を使用して複数のワクチン候補を作製し、テストしました。
その後、複数の学術機関の科学者と共同でワクチンの構成体をテストし、前臨床試験で免疫応答を生み出すのに最も有望な構成体を同定しました。

この研究に基づき、ジョンソン・エンド・ジョンソンは、最初の製造ステップに進む、COVID-19のリードワクチン候補（2つの予備候補あり）を同定しました。これを受け、2020年9月に第I相臨床試験を開始することを目指しており、安全性と有効性に関する臨床データは年末までに入手可能になる見込みです。これにより、緊急用ワクチンは2021年初頭に利用できるようになる見込みです。参考までに、通常のワクチン開発プロセスには、候補の承認プロセスの開始前にも、5年から7年にわたるさまざまな研究段階があります。

ジョンソン・エンド・ジョンソンは20年以上にわたり、抗ウイルス薬とワクチンの製造設備に数十億ドルを投資してきました。COVID-19ワクチンプログラムは、新規ワクチン候補の迅速な開発と最適なワクチン候補の大量生産を可能にするヤンセンの実証されたAdVac®およびPER.C6®技術を活用しています。同技術を使用して、自社のエボラワクチンを開発・製造し、第II相または第III相の臨床開発段階にあるジカ、RSV、およびHIVワクチン候補を作製しました。

Johnson & Johnson began efforts in January 2020, as soon as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) sequence became available, to research potential vaccine candidates. Research teams at Janssen, in collaboration with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, part of Harvard Medical School, constructed and tested multiple vaccine candidates using the Janssen AdVac® technology.

AdVac^®テクノロジー

アデノウイルスベクター（保因者）の開発と生産を基盤にしたテクノロジーです。
PER.C6^®テクノロジーと共に活用して、生命を脅かす感染症と闘う組み換えワクチンを開発することが可能です。

PER.C6^®テクノロジー

ワクチンおよびモノクローナル抗体の生産性を高めて迅速で大規模な生産を実現する、コスト効率のよい製造システム

Through collaborations with scientists at multiple academic institutions, the vaccine constructs were then tested to identify those with the most promise in producing an immune response in preclinical testing.

Based on this work, Johnson & Johnson has identified a lead COVID-19 vaccine candidate (with two back-ups), which will progress into the first manufacturing steps. Under an accelerated timeline, the Company is aiming to initiate a Phase 1 clinical study in September 2020, with clinical data on safety and efficacy expected to be available by the end of the year. This could allow vaccine availability for emergency use in early 2021. For comparison, the typical vaccine development process involves a number of different research stages, spanning 5 to 7 years, before a candidate is even considered for approval.

For more than 20 years, Johnson & Johnson has invested billions of dollars in antivirals and vaccine capabilities. The COVID-19 vaccine program is leveraging Janssen’s proven AdVac® and PER.C6® technologies that provide the ability to rapidly develop new vaccine candidates and upscale production of the optimal vaccine candidate. The same technology was used to develop and manufacture the Company’s Ebola vaccine and construct our Zika, RSV, and HIV vaccine candidates which are in Phase 2 or Phase 3 clinical development stages.
Expanded Antiviral Research

In addition to the vaccine development efforts, BARDA and Johnson & Johnson have also expanded their partnership to accelerate Janssen’s ongoing work in screening compound libraries, including compounds from other pharmaceutical companies. The Company’s aim is to identify potential treatments against the novel coronavirus. Johnson & Johnson and BARDA are both providing funding as part of this partnership. These antiviral screening efforts are being conducted in partnership with the Rega Institute for Medical Research (KU Leuven/University of Leuven), in Belgium.

As announced in February 2020, the Company and BARDA have been working closely with global partners to screen Janssen’s library of antiviral molecules to accelerate the discovery of potential COVID-19 treatments.
COVID-19 belongs to a group of viruses called coronaviruses that attack the respiratory system. There is currently no approved vaccine, treatment or cure for COVID-19.

June 10, 2020

Johnson & Johnson Announces Acceleration of its COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate; Phase 1/2a Clinical Trial to Begin in Second Half of July

Johnson & Johnson today announced that through its Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies  it has accelerated the initiation of the Phase 1/2a first-in-human clinical trial of its investigational SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, Ad26.COV2-S, recombinant. Initially scheduled to begin in September, the trial is now expected to commence in the second half of July.

Paul Stoffels, M.D., Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chief Scientific Officer, Johnson & Johnson, said, “Based on the strength of the preclinical data we have seen so far and interactions with the regulatory authorities, we have been able to further accelerate the clinical development of our investigational SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, Ad26.COV2-S, recombinant. Simultaneously, we are continuing our efforts to build important global partnerships and invest in our vaccine production technology and manufacturing capabilities. Our goal is to ensure we can deliver a vaccine to the world and protect people everywhere from this pandemic.”

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 1/2a study will evaluate the safety, reactogenicity (response to vaccination), and immunogenicity (immune response) of the investigational SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, Ad26.COV2-S, recombinant in 1045 healthy adults aged 18 to 55 years, as well as adults aged 65 years and older. The study will take place in the U.S. and Belgium.

The Company is in discussions with the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases with the objective to start the Phase 3 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, Ad26.COV2-S, recombinant, clinical trial ahead of its original schedule, pending outcome of Phase 1 studies and approval of regulators.

As the Company progresses the clinical development of its investigational SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, Ad26.COV2-S, recombinant, it continues to increase manufacturing capacity and is in active discussions with global partners to ensure worldwide access. The Company committed to the goal of supplying more than one billion doses globally through the course of 2021, provided the vaccine is safe and effective.

Johnson & Johnson’s efforts to expedite development and production of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine are enhanced by a collaboration between Janssen and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2, which belongs to a group of viruses called coronaviruses that attack the respiratory system. There is currently no approved vaccine for COVID-19.

　

April 12, 2020 　　　

Johnson & Johnson Suspends Plans Of Buying Japanese Pharmaceutical

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) suspended its plans of buying Takeda Pharmaceutical’s TachoSil on Friday, April 10. The American multinational corporation cited regulatory concerns for abandoning the deal.

Takeda Pharmaceutical is the largest drug manufacturer in Japan. Takeda had revealed in May 2019 that J&J’s subsidiary, Ethicon, wishes to buy its surgical patch that is used to control bleeding for £320 million (US$398.56 million).

武田薬品は2019年5月にShireの下記事業の売却した。（2019/3月決算に含まず）

	売却先	2018 Sales	売却対価
ドライアイの兆候・症状の治療薬「Xiidra®5％」	Novartis	3億8,800万米ドル	34億米ドルの一時金 最大19億米ドルのマイルストン
手術用パッチ剤「TachoSil®」	Ethicon	約1億5,500万米ドル	4億米ドルの一時金	製造は引き続き武田 長期の製造供給契約を締結

Johnson & Johnson’s representative was reported commenting on Friday, “Ethicon and Takeda have mutually decided to terminate the TachoSil transaction, agreeing that it was the right decision given the regulators’ concerns.”

Chairman Joseph Simons of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a statement earlier on Friday highlighting regulatory concerns regarding the J&J-Takeda deal. Simons said that the regulatory issues stem from the fact that J&J is the manufacturer of the only other fibrin sealant patch that is approved for use in the United States. J&J’s patch is available in the US by the name of Evarrest and is widely used during surgeries to control bleeding.

According to Simons’ email, “Staff had significant concerns about the likely anticompetitive effects and had recommended that the Commission block the transaction. Now that the deal has been abandoned, patients and surgeons will continue to benefit from competition.”