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We Must Outsmart Epidemics
century ago, Johnson & Johnson played a leading role in helping to limit the impact of the 1918 Spanish Flu, one of the deadliest pandemics in modern history, by introducing the epidemic mask, made from sterile gauze. It proved so effective that it was also used in later outbreaks.
In more recent history, we have been at the forefront of tackling epidemics from Ebola to HIV to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The age of globalization has brought us closer together, but also made us more vulnerable to the spread of such disease. However, advances in science and new global partnerships have the potential to ensure that we are prepared to address these infectious disease health threats.
As we’ve seen, it is a question of when—not if—the next epidemic will strike. So we have to be ready.
Johnson & Johnson is one of the world's only major healthcare companies actively engaged to prepare, and prevent, a broad range of pandemic threats. Explore just a few of the ways we are working with partners to outsmart epidemics around the globe.
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As a founding partner of the AMR Action Fund, we are investing $100 million to help bring 2-to-4 new antibiotics to patients by the end of the next decade. This builds on our long-term commitment to develop and responsibly deploy innovative technologies and treatments to combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). -
In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we are mobilizing resources to develop a vaccine candidate against the virus that causes the disease, SARS-CoV-2. This vaccine is now in international clinical trials. We are also broadly collaborating with others to screen a library of antiviral molecules for activity against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. -
We developed the first new TB medicine in more than 40 years to tackle drug-resistant TB and recently made a 10-year commitment to develop and deliver new innovations. -
The Janssen Ebola vaccine regimen received European Commission approval in July 2020 for the prevention of Ebola Virus Disease. We maintain a stockpile of 1.5 million Ebola vaccines for deployment against outbreaks and to support preventive immunization campaigns. -
HIV is one of the world’s greatest health challenges. 37 million people around the world live with HIV, and nearly 2 million are newly infected each year. Johnson & Johnson has been committed to the fight against HIV for more than 25 years. -
In collaboration with BARDA we are developing a portfolio of vaccines and therapeutics to protect communities in the event of an influenza pandemic. -
In partnership with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the University of Oxford, we are exploring the development of a vaccine against MERS-CoV, another coronavirus that has caused outbreaks of disease in humans. -
Together with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we co-founded the Pandemic Action Network, a global advocacy initiative dedicated to ending COVID-19 and preparing the world for future pandemics. -
We founded the PSRT to bring the full capabilities of the private sector to tackle pandemic threats through the Global Health Security Agenda. -
In collaboration with BARDA, we are awarding funding and mentorship opportunities to innovators working on potential solutions that repel and protect against airborne viruses through a series of Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS QuickFire Challenges.
If we are going to successfully protect vulnerable communities from the threat of infectious diseases outbreaks we must collaborate and leverage the very best expertise from across the private and public sectors. At Johnson & Johnson we have always believed in a comprehensive approach to tackling infectious diseases—creating new medicines and healthcare products, helping to spearhead public education efforts, and investing in ongoing education for healthcare workers on the front lines. Our effort to support pandemic preparedness is just the latest example of our company-wide commitment to promote—and protect—health and well-being.