Johnson and Johnson 2010 Annual Report Download - page 18

At Gaetano Pini Hospital in Milan, Italy,
Dr. D’Imporzano now has access to a new
hemostasis product from Ethicon, Inc.
that can be used to stop bleeding. EVICEL®
Fibrin Sealant (Human), once thawed, is
ready on-demand to help surgeons meet
critical bleeding challenges.
EVICEL® is a fibrin sealant approved for
general hemostasis in surgery (that is, it
can be used in any surgical setting) when
control of bleeding by standard surgical
techniques is ineffective or impractical.
The human plasma-based biologics in
EVICEL® sealant allow it to work
independently of the patient’s clotting
factors, creating a simple solution for
complex bleeding problems.
Often, surgical success depends on the
ability to quickly and effectively control
bleeding at the surgical site. EVICEL®
sealant has become a critical tool to assist
surgeons in ensuring that bleeding during
and after surgery doesn’t become life-
threatening.
“The availability of so powerful a topical
hemostatic product is extremely
important,” says Dr. D’Imporzano. “Using
a product like EVICEL®, together with a
minimally invasive surgical approach, can
lead to improved outcomes for patients.”
EVICEL® sealant is the first product
from Omrix Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. that
Ethicon is taking to more global markets.
When Ethicon acquired Omrix in 2008,
EVICEL® sealant was available in one
country. By the end of 2009, it was in 10
countries, and at the end of 2010, in 20
countries, including Italy, where it
launched in October.
“This is a great example of how we’ve
used our scale to quickly globalize
important products,” says Randy Hubbell,
Worldwide Vice President, Ethicon
Biosurgery unit. “With EVICEL® we’ve
taken the best technology, leveraged the
global network of Johnson & Johnson
companies and provided a strategic plan
executed by local teams. Now more
doctors can access this leading technology
and make meaningful differences for
their patients.”
Because EVICEL® sealant is both a
biologic and a medical device product,
knowledge and experience in launching
pharmaceuticals as well as medical devices
was needed to expand to so many markets
so quickly. In markets like Turkey and
Greece, Medical Devices and Diagnostics
(MD&D) teams reached out to their
counterparts in Pharmaceuticals. Local
expertise was the best way to manage the
complexity in Italy, which has 21 provinces
with distinct regulatory bodies, each with
specific requirements.
“Our strategy was to provide local
leadership with comprehensive, cross-
functional tools,” says Ron Horton, Group
Product Director, Ethicon, Inc., who led the
EVICEL® sealant globalization efforts. “The
approach we used is scalable and adaptable
for other business units, which could prove
beneficial for teams in both the MD&D and
pharmaceutical segments as they work to
achieve global business goals.”
GLOBALIZATION DRIVES BUSINESS
The ability to quickly globalize products
is just one way the MD&D business segment
is capitalizing on globalization. Another is
by developing market-appropriate
products.
Today the global MD&D market is worth
approximately $350 billion, more than
50 percent of which is outside the United
States, where markets are growing at a
slightly faster rate. And emerging markets
are growing still faster—two to three
times the rate of the overall market.
In China, product offerings are being
expanded to meet the unique needs of the
mass market, which comprises hundreds
of millions of people who now have access
to some degree of health care. MD&D
businesses have launched a number of
market-appropriate products in China
recently. Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.
introduced the ADVANT™ 55 Linear
Stapler in 2008 and the HCS Disposable
Curved Circular Stapler in 2010.
Designed for specific Asian markets,
the ONETOUCH® ULTRAVUE™ blood
glucose meter from LifeScan, Inc. was
successfully launched in Japan in
mid-2008 and is now a popular meter
there. The meter was introduced in 2010
in China, where diabetes is quickly
becoming an epidemic. Recent data
indicates that one in 10 people in China
now have the disease.
To further accelerate progress in
emerging markets, more research and
development is being
done outside the U.S.
(See story on page 10.)
PATIENT NEEDS DRIVE EFFORTS
Efforts to develop market-appropriate
products and quickly globalize new and
existing products rely on an ability to
leverage capabilities throughout
Johnson & Johnson. The result is reaching
more of the world with products that can
make a difference.
And that excites the Biosurgicals team
too. “We’ve achieved an important market
presence with EVICEL®, paving the way
for products we’re developing,” says
Dan Wildman, Worldwide President of
Ethicon, Inc., responsible for the Ethicon
Biosurgery unit. “By
meeting significant
needs of surgeons, we’re
meeting vital
needs of their patients.”
During total hip or knee surgery, it can be
extremely challenging to control bleeding,” says
surgeon Marco D’Imporzano, M.D. “The bleeding
site is often difficult to reach, and it is difficult to
control this bleeding with traditional surgical techniques.”
SURGICAL SUCCESS Dr. Marco
D’Imporzano completes about 1,000 hip
and knee replacements each year.
He says adjunctive hemostatic products
like EVICEL® sealant, combined with a
minimally invasive approach to proce-
dures, may improve outcomes.
Reaching More of the World
MEDICAL DEVICES & DIAGNOSTICS
JOHNSON & JOHNSON 2010 ANNUAL REPORT16