NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., June 23, 2022 – Johnson & Johnson proudly joined the global community, including governments, foundations, non-profit organizations and other pharmaceutical companies, to endorse the Kigali Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases. Together, we are recommitting to our long-established efforts to control and eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), a set of debilitating diseases that put at risk the health of 1.7 billion people around the world, especially the most vulnerable and underserved.
Working from the lab to the last-mile of health delivery, Johnson & Johnson is today committing to fight the neglect impacting three major public health challenges: intestinal worms (soil-transmitted helminths or STH), dengue and leprosy. Endorsing the Kigali Declaration, the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies commits to:
- Donate up to 200 million doses annually of mebendazole, our Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies’ medicine to treat intestinal worms, through 2025; and to
- Advance novel R&D programs to discover new medicines needed to beat dengue and leprosy.
These diseases are a cause of significant illness, disability and death, especially among children in some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities. Dengue is resurging in endemic countries and expanding into new regions as a result of the climate crisis, and leprosy is one of the world’s most ancient diseases that has yet to be eliminated.
For more than 15 years, Johnson & Johnson has been at the forefront of global efforts to beat NTDs, proudly donating more than two billion doses of mebendazole for the treatment of intestinal worms to field partners in more than 50 countries. This was further bolstered by the development of a new chewable formulation of mebendazole in 2019 that can be easily administered to children as young as one year of age, supporting the training of community health workers, enabling better data management and supporting the development of new diagnostics. Through tireless and collaborative efforts, countless children in need have been given the opportunity to recover, play, learn – and thrive.
In 2012, Johnson & Johnson joined the global community in launching the landmark London Declaration on NTDs, a first-of-its-kind, public-private partnership aimed at addressing the burden of NTDs. This coordinated action has proven to be one of the most impactful global public health collaborations, resulting in 40 countries eliminating at least one neglected tropical disease since 2012 and hundreds of millions of people no longer at risk.
We have an historic opportunity to unlock the potential of hundreds of millions of lives and create a prosperous and safer future for communities across the globe. That is why we are in this fight and invite you to join us in beating NTDs. To learn more, visit JNJ.com/NTDs.
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Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), including soil-transmitted helminths, dengue and leprosy. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V., any of the other Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies and/or Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: challenges and uncertainties inherent in product research and development, including the uncertainty of clinical success and of obtaining regulatory approvals; uncertainty of commercial success; [manufacturing difficulties and delays;] competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges to patents; [product efficacy or safety concerns resulting in product recalls or regulatory action;] changes in behavior and spending patterns of purchasers of health care products and services; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; and trends toward health care cost containment. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 2, 2022, including in the sections captioned “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” and in Johnson & Johnson’s subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. None of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies nor Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments.