The company has their sights on an aggressive number of approvals over the coming few years.

Johnson & Johnson is gearing up for a competitive next few years following the release of their goal to make over ten blockbusters a reality, and all by 2021. The company’s top senior leadership team, including executives for its Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies have announced their plan to push over ten drugs to launch, or be filed for regulatory approval, into the next four years, citing the “blockbuster potential” of these drugs in the pipeline.

This is in addition to extensions on over fifty existing therapies, with the intention of reaching an increased patient population. The company also cited “innovation” as a key driver, as well as the still-pending acquisition of Actelion, the Swiss-based biotech company.

Alex Gorsky, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, spoke on the exciting new developments, part of the company’s immediate plan. "Our pharmaceutical business will continue to be a significant driver of innovation and growth for Johnson & Johnson,” he commented. “With our proven global commercial capabilities and robust pipeline, we are well-positioned to continue delivering strong, long-term, sustainable growth."

If the company meets their near-future pipeline goals, they will be aligned with their performance over the previous five-plus years. Since 2011, Janssen has U.S. FDA approval for 11 new molecular entities (NMEs) under its’ belt. This includes investment in the key therapeutic areas of Immunology, Infectious Diseases & Vaccines, Neuroscience, Cardiovascular & Metabolism, and Oncology. The company will be adding Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension to this line up once the acquisition of Actelion is officially closed — which is predicted as soon as the end of the second quarter. As of last year, there are two new molecular entities (NMEs), which are likely to garner approval by the end of this calendar year — guselkumab for psoriasis and sirukumab for rheumatoid arthritis.

The company released the following list of candidates now in late-stage, which are believed to earn regulatory approval from the end of this year and up until 2021; these include the below:

• apalutamide (ARN-509) for pre-metastatic prostate cancer;
• esketamine for treatment-resistant depression;
• talacotuzumab (CSL362) for acute myeloid leukemia;
• erdafitinib (FGFR Inhibitor) for solid tumors;
• niraparib for prostate cancer;
• imetelstat for myelofibrosis;
• pimodivir (JNJ-3872) for influenza A;
• lumicitabine (JNJ-1575) for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection; and,
• JNJ-7922 (orexin-2 antagonist) for adjunctive treatment for major depressive disorder.

According to the release, “many of these products are being developed in collaboration with strategic partners or are licensed from other companies.”