Xian Janssen: Embrace better future with new solutions

Being one of the largest health-care exhibitors at this year’s CIIE, Johnson & Johnson brought with them a wide range of cutting-edge innovative drugs. As a highlight, Xian Janssen, the pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson, presented DARZALEX, the redefining multiple myeloma (MM) therapy, which is the first-in-class monoclonal antibody that binds to CD38, activates the immune system and illuminates myeloma cells.

“China has been an essential and one of the fastest-growing markets for us, and we are very proud of being at the CIIE for a second consecutive year,” said Asgar Rangoonwala, president of Xian Janssen. “We will keep combining our resources and advantages in the industry to provide the best solutions for Chinese patients.”

Established in 1985, Xian Janssen was one of the earliest multinational pharmaceutical companies to enter China. It focuses on nine therapeutic areas of psychiatry, neurology, cold cough & fever/GI, dermatology/anti-allergy, hematology, immunology, solid tumor, infectious diseases, and pulmonary hypertension.

With a proud 34-year heritage in China, Xian Janssen has become one of the fastest-growing multinational companies amongst the top 10 MNC originators in China. As of November, 22 new innovative drugs and indications were launched or approved in the past 22 months, setting a remarkable standard for the entire pharmaceutical industry in China.

“We are working hard to offer Chinese patients’ total solutions by providing the best medicines, speeding up innovation, deploying talent development strategy and further exploring collaboration with the multi-stakeholders,” said Rangoonwala. “We hope it will eventually contribute to the overall development of China’s health-care industry and support the Healthy China Initiative.”

By continually investing in innovation, and introducing novel health-care products and solutions, Xian Janssen is helping to better serve Chinese patients and consumers. Their innovation strategy is to enhance R&D capabilities, while seeking external innovation sources to cooperate. Rangoonwala expressed the company’s confidence in China’s innovation capabilities.

A great example is that Xian Janssen has been working together with Legend Biotech in the US and Ireland to develop, manufacture and commercialize LCAR-B38M, which is a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell drug candidate for multiple myeloma treatment.

Another interpretation of Xian Janssen’s innovation strategy is their stimulation of the health-care ecosystem, creating the treatments of tomorrow and care for the communities in China, by collaborating with the best and most professional partners in the field.

Take prostate cancer for example, Xian Janssen has teamed up with the nation’s Urology Medical Associations to improve early diagnosis and treatment of NM-CRPC (Non-Metastasis Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer) and help establish clinical standards. The metastasis-free survival has been prolonged for NM-CRPC patients.

Rangoonwala said he had been impressed by the Chinese government’s courage and broad vision in the development of the country’s health-care industry, including the introduction of the Healthy China Initiative.

“We welcome the steps taken by the Chinese government to ensure patients in the country gain early access to innovative medicines,” he said. “To support the initiative, Xian Janssen is addressing major challenges such as the management of severe and chronic diseases and the most pressing needs in public health area.”

One example was set with lung cancer. The Johnson & Johnson China Lung Cancer Center was launched in Shanghai, which aims to help work out policies for smoking control and solutions for early diagnosis of malignant pulmonary nodules for earlier and more precise identification of lung cancer, the top-killing cancer in China.

To address the fast-developing and most pressing health-care needs, the company is working hard to more effectively engage with stakeholders including regulators, payers, industry peers and patient groups on treatment and value choices by rolling out innovative cross-functional programs to train capabilities needed in future.

In October, Xian Janssen teamed up with relevant medical associations in China, health education centers and the Chinese CDC to launch a tuberculosis (TB) prevention and control public educational campaign.

The national campaign uses a multifaceted approach, deploying various online social media programs and offline activities. It engages a range of stakeholders to raise awareness about TB at the national and local levels.

To better improve the detection of undiagnosed MDR-TB cases and to broaden appropriate access to innovative drugs, Xian Janssen has also leveraged Internet Plus to improve treatment accessibility for TB patients.

Last but not least, Rangoonwala attributed the company’s achievements in China to the capability of Xian Janssen’s China-based team. Indeed, the company regards talent attraction and retention as critical.