On Oct. 6, the European Commission approved SIMPONI(TM) (golimumab) as a once-monthly, subcutaneous therapy for the treatment of moderate-to-severe, active rheumatoid arthritis, active and progressive psoriatic arthritis and severe, active ankylosing spondylitis.

During the quarter, the Company completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets and rights of Elan related to its Alzheimer's Immunotherapy Program as well as an equity investment in Elan. Additionally, the Company announced that it had entered into a licensing and collaboration agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc., for the development and commercialization of a new fixed dose combination of investigational compound TMC278 (rilpivirine hydrochloride 25 mg) and Gilead's TRUVADA?® (emtricitabine 200 mg/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg) for treatment-naive adult patients with HIV-1.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Company announced that it had entered into a strategic collaboration with Crucell, N.V., focusing on the discovery, development and commercialization of monoclonal antibodies and vaccines for the treatment and prevention of influenza and other infectious and non-infectious diseases. The agreement also included an 18% equity investment in Crucell, N.V.

Worldwide Medical Devices and Diagnostics sales of $5.8 billion for the third quarter represented an increase of 2.3% versus the prior year with an operational increase of 4.1% and a negative currency impact of 1.8%. Domestic sales increased 4.5%; international sales increased 0.5%, which reflected an operational increase of 3.8% and a negative currency impact of 3.3%.

Primary contributors to the operational growth included Ethicon's surgical care and aesthetics products; Ethicon Endo-Surgery's minimally invasive products; DePuy's orthopaedic joint reconstruction, spine, and sports medicine businesses; and Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics' professional products. This growth was partially offset by lower sales in the Cordis franchise, reflecting strong competition in the drug-eluting stent market, and the 2008 divestiture of the Professional Wound Care products in our Ethicon business.

SOURCE Johnson & Johnson