History


 * Company History**

Johnson & Johnson was founded in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA in 1886 by three brothers, Robert Wood Johnson, James Wood Johnson and Edward Mead Johnson. In 2010 it is a Fortune 500 company with a family of more than 250 operating companies with approximately 120,000 employees in 57 countries. Company had $61.1 billion in worldwide sales during 2010.

Currently & Johnson focuses within three branches of business - Consumer Health Care products, Medical Devices and Diagnostics and Pharmaceuticals. Currently, Johnson and Johnson is:

· The world’s premier consumer health company · The world’s largest and most diverse medical devices and diagnostics company · The world’s third largest biologics company · The World’s fifth-largest pharmaceutical company

Their products and services contribute to the health and longevity of human beings, having invented such innovative products and methods such as antiseptic surgery practices (1888), first aid kits, maternity kits for safe childbirth (1894), baby powder, sanitary napkins, dental floss, first aid manuals, adhesive bandages, contact lenses, Tylenol, duct tape, and many others.

By the late 20th century Johnson & Johnson had acquired numerous pharmaceuticals companies from which drugs such as Risperdal, Nucynta, Topamax, Invega and many others have been created for diseases such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s’, etc. They produce medicine's relating to anti-infective, anti-psychotic, cardiovascular, contraceptive, dermatology, gastrointestinal, hematology, immunology, neurology, oncology, pain management, urology and virology fields.

Johnson & Johnson has had a tradition of social responsibility such as donations of products and money to help the citizens affected by the Galvaston, Texas hurricane in 1900, the San Francisco earthquake (1906), though the number of donations over a period of its first thirty years is quite sparse.

In 1932, Johnson & Johnson began to spread globally and the acquisition of companies that augment Johnson & Johnsons portfolio in the well-being of people commenced. The family of companies were decentralized but run under the umbrella of Johnson & Johnson. This was the year that Robert Wood Johnson II, son of the founder took lead of the company. Eleven years later he wrote ‘Our Credo; which is the guiding mission, values and vision of the company to this day.

In 1944 Johnson and Johnson goes public with a listing on the New York Stock exchange.

Johnson & Johnson acquire pharmaceutical companies (Ortho Research Laboratories, (now called Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical), Janssen Pharmaceutica, Cilag Clemie, McNeil Laboratories, Cordis Corporation, Centocor, Ethicon and many others) diagnostics, soap and detergent companies, among others.

Johnson & Johnson places accentuation on social responsibility as one of the founding partnerso f Safe Kids Worldwide (prevention of accidental childhood injury) (1987). Johnson & Johnson launch ‘Every Mother, Every Child’ to improve the health of mothers and children in developing countries (2010)

From 1989 to 2002 - Under Ralph S. Larsen's leadership as Chairman and CEO, Neutrogena Corporation, Kodak's Clinical Diagnostics business, Cordis Corporation and Centocor join the Family of Companies; Expansion continues into Russia and Eastern Europe.

2002 - William C. Weldon becomes Chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson, only the eighth person to lead the Company since its founding.

2006 Johnson & Johnson acquires Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, which brings in heritage consumer brands such as Listerine Antiseptic (1879), Bengay, Benadril and more.