USA TODAY International Edition
J& J says 10 new drugs have potential for $ 1B each in sales
Global health products giant Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday at least 10 medications it is developing hold the potential of sales of $ 1 billion in annual worldwide sales.
But the announcement also comes as pharmaceutical companies are under pressure from Washington, including President Trump, to cap skyrocketing prices for specialized treatments critics blame for increasing health care costs.
The 10 drugs, which include therapies for cancer, depression and the flu, could be navigating the approval process at an opportune time, with the Trump administration seeking to loosen Food and Drug Administration approval standards for new treatments. All are expected to be submitted for regulatory approval or will hit the market in the next four years.
J& J pharmaceuticals Chairman Joaquin Duato said the company backs the move to eliminate “unnecessary bureaucracy” at the FDA while preserving a process that vali- dates “safety and efficacy.”
J& J, which conducted some 400 clinical trials with 110,000 patients in 2016, agrees with the administration on the need to “fine- tune and improve access for patients and at the same time how we can improve the regulatory process,” Duato said.
While growing scrutiny of drug costs may make it harder to raise prices, Duato said, “most of our growth comes from volume.”
Among the new drugs J& J expects to deliver through 2021 are treatments for prostate cancer, acute myeloid leukemia, myelofibrosis and respiratory syncytial virus ( RSV) infection.
The plans for major new treatments would mark an accelera- tion in new product introduction. From 2009 through 2015, for example, J& J commercialized seven treatments that topped $ 1 billion in annual sales. Among the company’s recent wins are cancer treatments Imbruvica and Darzalex.
William Hait, research chief of J& J’s Janssen Research & Development, said the company would seek to expand applications of more than 50 current product lines.
J& J also said it expects to close its $ 30 billion acquisition of Swiss biopharmaceutical giant Actelion by the end of the second quarter, including its coveted treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension.