Johnson and Johnson 2006 Annual Report Download - page 22

J O H N S O N & J O H N S O N 2 0 0 6 A N N U A L R E P O R T
When my patient Christopher acted like the life of the party, he was
just doing his job,” says Markus Michel, M.D., Head Physician of
the Orthopaedic Center Munsingen, a Swiss facility world-renowned
for preventing and correcting disorders of the body’s support structures,
including the skeleton, joints, muscles, ligaments and cartilage.
“For years, Christopher was one
of Switzerland’s most successful,
in-demand DJs—a high-energy
professional who was expected to
party late for nights on end,” recalls
Dr. Michel. “But his life came to a
grinding halt when severe hip prob-
lems caused him to feel unrelenting,
disabling pain. A year ago, when he
was 36, Christopher presented to
me. His first words were, ‘My job
meant everything—now my whole
life is over.’ He told me his work
was no longer fun, he couldn’t play
sports anymore, and he had even
given up driving. He said all his
professional and personal relation-
ships were in jeopardy.” Worst of
all, Christopher couldn’t remember
what a pain-free past had ever
felt like—and he couldn’t begin to
imagine a pain-free future.
It turned out that Christopher
needed an operation usually
associated with someone twice his
age—he needed a hip replacement.
NOT F O R S E N I O R S O N LY “Hip replacement surgery isn’t just
for seniors anymore,” explains Stefano Alfonsi, Worldwide
Vice President of Hip Marketing for DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc.,
a leader in developing state-of-the art technologies for joint
reconstruction. “In fact, the orthopaedic patient population
is getting younger. Patients are unwilling to accept long-term
pain and want to maintain their quality of life. Additionally,
treatment options for younger patients are expanding.”
UNMET PATIENT NEEDS Alfonsi—
who spent his initial years at DePuy
as a bioengineer—goes on to explain
that Christopher is a prime exam-
ple of today’s patient. “This is a
younger, information-empowered
patient, engaging with surgeons in a
discussion of treatment options.”
Adds Alfonsi: “This evolving
demographic profile presents a new
challenge. Orthopaedic surgeons
tell us that patients like Christopher
are looking for state-of-the-art sur-
gical interventions offering optimal
function and faster recovery—
allowing patients to preserve their
active lifestyles.”
WITH OUT GE OGRAPH IC BOUN DA RIES
“At DePuy, we utilize multinational
and multidisciplinary teams to
develop the best solutions for
the changing needs of today’s
hip patients,” explains Professor
Graham Isaac, Senior Engineering
Fellow for Hips. “We believe
that our international approach
to research and development differentiates DePuy in the
orthopaedic industry. We involve surgeons, bioengineers,
manufacturers and marketers’ expertise in a true collaborative
effort—with people who have the passion to go the extra mile.”
Continues Isaac, “Teams of global surgeons provide
insight on unmet patient needs and the surgical procedure.
Bioengineers draw on their expertise to find technical
solutions to clinical challenges. The product management
O U R P A S S I O N T R A N S F O R M S :
Restoring the Joys of Life
20
Markus Michel, M.D., is head physician at Switzerland’s
world-renowned Orthopaedic Center Munsingen.