Johnson & Johnson
The first practical application of the theory of antiseptic wound treatment was developed by ready-made and ready-to use surgical dressings by Johnson and Johnson in the mid-1880s. Ths new product reduced dramatically the threat of infection and disease which was claiming an appalling number of postoperative victims of that era.
This international medical products and pharmaceutical manufacturer is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial average and is listed among the Fortune 500 companies.
New Brunswick, New Jersey is the main headquarters and the company has 200 subsidiary companies that operate in over 90 countries.
A steady diversification has been pursued by this company. Consumer products were added in the 1920s and a surgical products were put in a separate division in 1941 which was named Ethicon. They purchased McNeil Laboratories, Inc. And Janssen Pharmaecuticals. In the 1960s and in the 1980s they added women’s sanitary products and toiletries.
Band-Aid line of bandages, Tylenol medications, Johnson’s Baby products, Neutrogena skin and beauty products and K-Y jelly lubricants are some of the numerous household names of medicatons and first aid supplies of this company.
A scare ensued when Extra Strength Tylenol capsules were laeced with cynaide. This prompted in 1982 a nationwide recall of that product. The media and public relations experts praised the company’s response to the scare.
The company has expanded into biopharmaceuticals, orthopedic devices and Internet publishing in recent years.