Message from CEO

As president of Janssen pharmaceutical KK it is my pleasure to introduce our organization. For 50 years now we are a member of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies and have always been proud to work for the benefit of patients. Very often people ask me questions about our company and our people.

Most people may know what we do. Sometimes people ask what we stand for. They want to know who we are. First of all, we are like everybody else. Ordinary people facing ups and downs in our moods and health, dealing with our little daily worries. Some of us are scientists, some are businessmen, and some are something in between. We have children that we are very concerned about, and ageing parents we love dearly. Just like everyone else, we have our hopes and fears and moments of happiness and joy. Like everyone else, we know about pain and distress.

Secondly, we are a group of people, very diverse in thought, nationality and character, who have come around a dream that was brought to us by Dr. Paul Janssen, the founder of one of our earliest pharmaceutical companies: we want nothing less than to contribute to the progress of health, and we are willing and able to work hard for it.

Finally, we are a company. We develop pharmaceutical products to address medical needs that have not yet been met. Once developed, we distribute them around the globe.

It is fair to say that our research is essential and expensive. Therefore economic success is crucial in what we do. In this we are no different from any other company.

However, this success will never let us drift away from the essence: to bring effective and affordable medicines as soon as possible to the patients who are waiting, to bring them help and relief. We don’t just measure our actual gain in dollars or in euros. More important is the number of human lives we save or make better thanks to our medicines. After all these years, that runs into millions too. Is there anything more motivating?　We think not.

Now you may think we are dreamers. We will not deny that. Moreover, we are believers. We strongly believe in the impossible. Because we know that it may become possible as you approach it. Although the process of approaching may demand stubborn perseverance and hard labour, we have proved, on numerous occasions, that it can be done.

This positive and hopeful attitude toward the sometimes very complex problems that we face in our fight against diseases is one of the reasons why, over the decades, we succeeded in developing medicines nobody dreamed of or that were considered to be impossible to develop.

So call us dreamers with a realistic twist.

To create and distribute these revolutionary medicines, we depend on many people and an enormous amount of knowledge. Even more so now that we find ourselves in uncharted territories again. Satisfactory medicines have been developed for many diseases, and getting new ones out of our labs into the world has become increasingly difficult and costly. We can no longer do it on our own.

To fit into this new environment we have torn down the walls. Today we enjoy the merits of a carefully built global network of partnerships in a variety of different fields. It is a worldwide lab that keeps us aware and enables us to track down all the data that can help us in the challenges we face. These partnerships have become our eyes and ears in our constant search for added value. Through this network we also work closely together with governments, health insurers and health care providers, for we cannot stand the thought of an effective medicine not reaching the patient. Providing relief will always be our ultimate goal.

In all this we seek no glory. We seek to contribute in the fight against incurable diseases. We seek solutions to the suffering of our patients.

You may call it idealism, or a perfect business plan. Personally, we feel lucky to call it our job.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Yours sincerely,