J&J Expands its Asia Presence

Johnson & Johnson has opened an innovation center in China to develop new medical devices and diagnostic products for emerging Asian markets.
The Johnson & Johnson Medical Companies Asia Pacific Innovation Center opened on June 22 in Suzhou, China, and will target its products to the Chinese and Indian markets, where the New Brunswick, N.J.-based company has had operations for about 30 years and 50 years, respectively.

“J&J products touch around one billion people every day. The important question is how do we help the next billion, many of whom live in Asia where health care needs are intensifying?” asked Alex Gorsky, vice chairman of J&J’s executive committee. “Both China and India are experiencing an increase in metabolic and chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer that many of our products diagnose or treat.”

According to Michael del Prado, company group chairman for J&J Medical Companies in Asia Pacific, the current portfolio of products is not adequately meeting the needs of patients in the region.

The company’s strategy will combine all seven medical device and diagnostic franchises with local knowledge.

“Inspired by local insights, our engineers are adapting and refining products from J&J’s portfolio and pursuing adjacent and new spaces to make medical devices that better suit the conditions and needs of Asia’s health care professionals and patients,” del Prado said. “This might include focusing on devices for specific disease states that are prevalent in Asia Pacific or developing simplified or smaller instruments that better suit the conditions and capabilities within a rural health setting. It may also include creating multi-use and disposable products that are more economical.”

Some such products already have been launched, including the Ethicon Endo-Surgery re-usable linear cutter, the Synsyl suture range for Ethicon and the DePuy REACH knee.

To date, J&J has invested $115 million into the new 278,000-square-meter facility, which includes a DePuy manufacturing plant that has been operating since 2007 and a global finance shared services center, which opened in 2010.