Johnson & Johnson Launches China Innovation Engine to Accelerate Local and Global Healthcare Advancements

BEIJING, Oct. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Johnson & Johnson held the launch event for the "Johnson & Johnson China Innovation Engine" in Beijing. The Johnson & Johnson Global Executive Committee and the China management team jointly announced the establishment of the Johnson & Johnson China Innovation Engine. As a global leader in healthcare, Johnson & Johnson used this launch event to fully demonstrate its firm commitment to rooting itself in the Chinese market, actively introducing innovative products and services, continuously investing in local innovation and R&D, and working hand in hand with partners to deliver high-quality innovative healthcare solutions for human health.

“As one of the first multinational healthcare companies to enter the Chinese market, Johnson & Johnson has grown alongside China and achieved substantial progress. The Chinese market has increasingly become the world’s fastest-growing engine for growth and innovation,” said Joaquin Duato, Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of Johnson & Johnson. “Founded in 1886, Johnson & Johnson has always been at the forefront of innovation. We are proud to regard Johnson & Johnson as a 133-year-old startup. Innovation is not only the core competitiveness that has kept Johnson & Johnson vibrant throughout its global development but also the accelerator behind its rapid growth in China over the past three decades.”

Increase Investment to Support China“Intelligent Manufacturing” Upgrade

Currently, China is undergoing a transition from traditional manufacturing to high-end intelligent manufacturing. The development of intelligent manufacturing will help enhance corporate production efficiency and product value-added, alleviate the rising labor costs in the manufacturing sector, and further strengthen companies’ market competitiveness, thereby creating significant potential for the growth of the healthcare industry. Johnson & Johnson will continue to strengthen its high-end manufacturing capabilities in China by promoting innovative technologies, building an “end-to-end” advanced global supply chain system, and contributing to China’s accelerated development of advanced manufacturing.

Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, invested $397 million to build a new large-scale innovative supply chain production base in Xi’an, which commenced operations in 2019. This facility features world-class manufacturing technologies and an advanced quality management system. The estimated annual total output will reach 4 billion tablets and capsules, as well as 57 million units of creams. As a supply chain innovation center, the Janssen Xi’an production base is equipped with top-tier advanced automation technologies, helping to support accelerated technological innovation and faster drug market entry. It will set new standards in China’s pharmaceutical industry and further meet the demands of the Chinese and other global markets.

In 2019, Johnson & Johnson Medical invested $180 million to build a new Ethicon factory in the Suzhou Industrial Park, which was completed and is expected to commence phased production by the end of this year. This marks another significant milestone for Johnson & Johnson Medical in Suzhou, following its establishment of orthopedic medical device manufacturing facilities and R&D centers in the city. It signifies the evolution of Johnson & Johnson’s Suzhou operations into a comprehensive healthcare industrial park integrating R&D, manufacturing, shared services, and technological innovation across multiple Johnson & Johnson brands, thereby facilitating the industrial transformation, upgrading, and high-quality development of the Suzhou Industrial Park. The new Ethicon factory features advanced production lines and related technologies, cleanrooms for production and packaging, quality control laboratories, microbiology laboratories, and other functional areas. It has the capacity to manufacture world-leading surgical devices, better meeting the needs of patients in China. Leveraging Johnson & Johnson Medical’s presence in China““End-to-end” supply chain; the new factory will be able to respond quickly and effectively to customer demands.

Building an Ecosystem to Ignite China's Innovation Engine

Amid the new economic trends driven by “Internet Plus,” social e-commerce, and big data, the digital transformation of China’s healthcare industry has become a topic of significant interest to the sector. In China, Johnson & Johnson is actively building an open innovation ecosystem, leveraging innovative initiatives such as big data and precision medicine to support the implementation of China’s innovation-driven development strategy in the new era.

At the event, the company announced the establishment of the Johnson & Johnson China Data Empowerment Center, actively fostering digital innovation in the Chinese market. The center aims to develop big data-driven customized innovation capabilities and effective research models to empower brands, enabling the development, design, and sale of new products that meet the needs of Chinese consumers. Equipped with advanced big data analytics capabilities, the center leverages consumer insights and market intelligence to drive reverse-customized business innovation. Through innovation empowerment, marketing empowerment, and operational empowerment, the center seeks to utilize big data insights to accelerate the innovation process and the conversion of results; expand product reach through precision marketing; promote data-driven growth to enhance brand awareness and improve operational efficiency, thereby strengthening its industry leadership.

Johnson & Johnson has been committed to pioneering new frontiers in digital surgery, including a sustained focus on innovations and investments that enhance the quality of healthcare. As part of this strategy, Johnson & Johnson Medical China has entered into agreements with Beijing TINAVI Medical Technology Co., Ltd. (TINAVI), the leader in the Chinese orthopedic robotics market, for co-marketing, co-distribution, and joint research and development. This collaboration will bring TINAVI’s differentiated robotic solutions for spine and trauma surgeries to orthopedic surgeons and their patients in the Chinese market. Aligned with Johnson & Johnson Medical’s strategic direction in digital surgery, this partnership aims to improve patient diagnosis and treatment through digital solutions, supporting orthopedic surgeons in achieving higher levels of surgical efficiency and process standardization.

Meanwhile, the Johnson & Johnson China Lung Cancer Center announced the joint signing of a strategic cooperation memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control. Currently, lung cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths.One of. In ChinaIn China, the incidence and mortality of lung cancerRates are all facing severeFormidable Challenges. In 2019, Johnson & Johnson established the China Lung Cancer Center in China, leveraging its strengths in medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer health to tailor strategies for the prevention, interruption, and cure of lung cancer. This initiative aims to bring hope for survival to patients and combat the challenges posed by lung cancer. The Johnson & Johnson China Lung Cancer Center will collaborate with the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control in areas such as public smoking cessation education, provision of smoking cessation solutions, and conduct of clinical research related to smoking cessation. Moving forward, the Johnson & Johnson Lung Cancer Center will further utilize various open innovation collaboration models within the industry to reduce the incidence of lung cancer in China and improve the long-term survival rates of lung cancer patients, striving towards the goal of "Healthy China, Eradication of Lung Cancer."

Johnson & Johnson is committed to providing innovative healthcare solutions. The aforementioned newly established partnership will better leverage the expertise and strengths of all parties, helping China build an open innovation ecosystem.

Support the Cultivation of Local Talent to Advance the Healthy China Strategy through Innovation

The “Healthy China 2030” initiative underscores that health is a prerequisite for the all-around development of the people and a foundation for socioeconomic development. This aligns closely with Johnson & Johnson’s corporate vision of integrating care, science, and wisdom to drive profound change in human health. To this end, Johnson & Johnson is committed to fostering local innovative talent, accelerating new drug research and development, and collaborating to address public health challenges.

Johnson & Johnson believes that talent development is the cornerstone of driving innovation and growth. Johnson & Johnson announced a collaborative talent initiative with Tsinghua University, dedicated to providing robust support for graduate education, teaching development, and talent cultivation in the local market. The Elite Talent Development Program announced at the event includes specific initiatives such as the “Tsinghua Friends – Johnson & Johnson Excellence Scholarship Fund” and other talent training projects, laying a solid foundation for nurturing more outstanding professionals who possess both integrity and ability, as well as an innovative and enterprising spirit. These efforts underscore Johnson & Johnson’s unwavering commitment to accelerating innovation through talent development and improving the future of human health.

In 1985, Dr. Paul Janssen came to China with the dream of bringing efficient and innovative medicines to Chinese patients, facilitating the establishment of Xian Janssen. Through its pharmaceutical business, Johnson & Johnson embarked on its journey of innovation in China.

Addressing China’s complex and urgent healthcare needs, Johnson & Johnson has introduced a series of revolutionary products to the Chinese pharmaceutical market through innovations in drug development and medical research. In the fields of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, immunology, infectious diseases and vaccines, neuroscience, oncology, and pulmonary arterial hypertension, Johnson & Johnson saves and improves lives through innovative solutions. Over the past 21 months, Janssen, Johnson & Johnson’s pharmaceutical subsidiary in China, has had 22 innovative products and indications approved or launched in China, covering therapeutic areas including psychiatry, hematology, solid tumors, immunology, infectious diseases, diabetes, and pulmonary arterial hypertension.

At the 2019 Pharmaceutical Business Conference held in May this year, Johnson & Johnson announced that it would maximize the potential of its leading brands, planning to submit registration approvals for more than 40 product line extensions by 2023. Between 2019 and 2023, the company plans to apply for registration approval or complete the market launch of at least 10 new drugs. By providing breakthrough medications, Johnson & Johnson aims to meet the needs of patients worldwide. In the future, the company will continue to collaborate with governments and various partners to bring globally significant innovative drugs to China, accelerating their research, development, and introduction, while committing to safeguarding health.

Currently, China’s economy has shifted from a phase of high-speed growth to one of high-quality development, with innovation playing an increasingly prominent role as a powerful driver of economic growth. “The Chinese market is playing an increasingly important role in driving business growth and fostering innovation-driven development. Johnson & Johnson places great emphasis on the Chinese market and is committed to further deepening its development in China. By working hand in hand with partners across all sectors, we aim to help China become a global engine for innovation,” said Song Weiqun, Chairman of Johnson & Johnson China. “Over the past year, Johnson & Johnson’s Medical Devices, Pharmaceutical, and Consumer Health businesses have all achieved double-digit high-speed growth in the Chinese market. Looking ahead, we look forward to continuing our collaboration with the government and industry partners to further advance innovation in China, serve patients and consumers both in China and around the world, contribute to the Healthy China initiative, and help build a healthier future.”