A federal judge has ruled against Johnson & Johnson in a legal dispute over the 340B drug discount program, siding with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and affirming the agency's authority to approve changes to the federal rebate model. The ruling supports HHS and 340B hospitals in the rebate model case, rejecting J&J's challenge to the program's structure. This decision confirms that the government did not violate the law in its administration of the 340B program, which provides discounted medications to hospitals and clinics. Separately, the Supreme Court upheld the structure of an HHS task force that supports coverage for HIV medication, maintaining existing access to Affordable Care Act (ACA) preventive services amid ongoing litigation regarding which healthcare medications and services must be fully covered by private insurance under Obamacare.

Crystal Palace confirmed that Robert “Woody” Johnson IV, co-owner of the NFL’s New York Jets and a former U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, has signed a legally binding agreement to purchase Eagle Football Holdings’ 43% stake in the Premier League club. The transaction, valued at about £190 million ($254 million or a little over €200 million), transfers the shares held by American businessman John Textor, ending his four-year spell as the club’s largest shareholder.

Read more

The Trump administration is considering a crackdown on pharmaceutical advertising, prompting concerns about potential pushback from the pharmaceutical industry. Lawmakers, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, have renewed accusations that major companies like Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and AbbVie charge the highest drug prices globally while often paying little to no federal taxes. Proposals under review include revising the favorable tax treatment of billions spent on TV drug ads and increasing transparency around pharmaceutical lobbying activities, such as mandatory conflict of interest disclosures. Advocates argue that many drug advertisements are designed more to drive demand and profits than to promote health, leading to calls for stricter regulations on pharma advertising. The potential restrictions have also raised concerns about impacts on television networks reliant on pharmaceutical advertising revenue.

Johnson & Johnson presented the first clinical results for its dual-targeting CD19/CD20 CAR T-cell therapy, JNJ-90014496, at the European Hematology Association’s 2025 congress in Milan. The investigational treatment is being tested in patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma, a population with limited options after standard therapies fail.

The ongoing phase Ib study (NCT05421663) has enrolled 51 patients. Investigators reported that, among the 25 individuals evaluated at the recommended phase-2 dose of 75 million CAR-positive T cells, responses were described as “near-universal.” Importantly, no grade 3 or 4 cytokine-release syndrome was observed, and the overall safety profile was characterised as manageable.

While detailed durability data are still maturing, the early efficacy and safety signals position JNJ-90014496 as a potential competitor to existing single-target CAR-T products. Johnson & Johnson plans to expand enrolment and advance to larger studies to confirm the depth and duration of response and to further assess long-term safety.

During the ongoing sex crimes trial of Sean Combs, a Homeland Security Investigations agent testified about the findings from a March 2024 raid on Combs’ Los Angeles residence. The agent detailed the seizure of approximately 900 bottles of AstroGlide lubricant and around 200 bottles of Johnson & Johnson baby oil, both purchased in bulk. Additionally, the raid uncovered an assortment of drugs, guns, and armor-piercing ammunition. Testimony also included a former assistant's claim that Combs introduced honey as a new ingredient in his sexual activities.

Ketamine, first developed as a surgical anesthetic in the 1960s, has seen a marked rise in both medical and recreational use in the United States and the United Kingdom. In the US, the number of clinics administering ketamine infusions has grown from about 60 in 2015 to between 1,200 and 1,500 as of 2025. In New York City, more than a dozen ketamine clinics have opened in recent years, with many located in Midtown East, Murray Hill, and expanding into Brooklyn. This trend is attributed to affordable rents and proximity to other medical practices.

Read more

Johnson & Johnson's trispecific antibody treatment has demonstrated promising early results in clinical trials for heavily pretreated multiple myeloma patients, a cancer traditionally considered incurable with a median survival of about one year. The treatment, developed in collaboration with a Chinese biotech firm and Wake Forest University, was tested on 97 patients in the US, showing a median survival of 60.7 months. Notably, 32 patients remained relapse-free for over five years, suggesting a potential cure. This advancement marks a significant development in blood cancer therapy, although the treatment's cost exceeds $500,000, posing accessibility challenges for developing countries.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Johnson & Johnson's (ticker: JNJ) new immune disorder drug, Imaavy, for the treatment of generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) in patients aged 12 and older who test positive for either anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) or anti-muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) antibodies. This approval positions Imaavy as a potential blockbuster product expected to drive growth for Johnson & Johnson. Separately, advances in gene therapy and CAR-T cell therapies continue to show promise in treating rare and severe immune and cancer disorders.

A phase 1–2 study demonstrated that lentiviral gene therapy significantly improved survival in children with leukocyte adhesion deficiency type 1 without the need for hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. Additionally, experimental CAR-T therapies are being developed to treat autoimmune diseases without the toxic pre-treatment chemotherapy typically required, with in vivo CAR-T therapies showing complete remission in some cases without lymphodepletion or severe side effects. Other gene therapies, such as Zynteglo for beta thalassemia, have also shown lasting benefits, eliminating the need for blood transfusions. These developments mark important progress in immunotherapy and gene therapy, offering new treatment options for patients with rare and difficult-to-treat diseases.

Johnson & Johnson reported its first-quarter earnings for 2025, with adjusted earnings per share (EPS) reaching $2.77, surpassing the consensus estimate of $2.60. The company's sales for the quarter totaled $21.89 billion, a 2.4% increase year-over-year and above the expected $21.58 billion. Despite these strong results, Johnson & Johnson anticipates about $400 million in tariff-related costs this year, primarily affecting its medical technology unit due to tariffs against China and retaliatory measures. CFO Joe Wolk noted that the company is taking a cautious approach to the U.S. government's trade policies.

The company's pharmaceutical division also performed well, with revenue of approximately $13.9 billion, exceeding expectations. Johnson & Johnson highlighted several key drugs and experimental therapies during its earnings call, expressing confidence that sales of the cancer drug combination Rybrevant and Lazcluze could reach about twice the current Wall Street estimates by 2027. CEO Joaquin Duato emphasized the importance of tax policy over tariffs to encourage U.S. manufacturing, as the company plans to invest $55 billion over the next four years to produce advanced medicines in the U.S. Despite the tariff concerns, the company maintained its full-year earnings guidance at $10.60 per share and raised its sales outlook for 2025.

A federal judge has ruled against Johnson & Johnson in a legal dispute over the 340B drug discount program, siding with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and affirming the agency's authority to approve changes to the federal rebate model. The ruling supports HHS and 340B hospitals in the rebate model case, rejecting J&J's challenge to the program's structure. This decision confirms that the government did not violate the law in its administration of the 340B program, which provides discounted medications to hospitals and clinics. Separately, the Supreme Court upheld the structure of an HHS task force that supports coverage for HIV medication, maintaining existing access to Affordable Care Act (ACA) preventive services amid ongoing litigation regarding which healthcare medications and services must be fully covered by private insurance under Obamacare.

Crystal Palace confirmed that Robert “Woody” Johnson IV, co-owner of the NFL’s New York Jets and a former U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, has signed a legally binding agreement to purchase Eagle Football Holdings’ 43% stake in the Premier League club. The transaction, valued at about £190 million ($254 million or a little over €200 million), transfers the shares held by American businessman John Textor, ending his four-year spell as the club’s largest shareholder.

Read more

The Trump administration is considering a crackdown on pharmaceutical advertising, prompting concerns about potential pushback from the pharmaceutical industry. Lawmakers, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, have renewed accusations that major companies like Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and AbbVie charge the highest drug prices globally while often paying little to no federal taxes. Proposals under review include revising the favorable tax treatment of billions spent on TV drug ads and increasing transparency around pharmaceutical lobbying activities, such as mandatory conflict of interest disclosures. Advocates argue that many drug advertisements are designed more to drive demand and profits than to promote health, leading to calls for stricter regulations on pharma advertising. The potential restrictions have also raised concerns about impacts on television networks reliant on pharmaceutical advertising revenue.

Johnson & Johnson presented the first clinical results for its dual-targeting CD19/CD20 CAR T-cell therapy, JNJ-90014496, at the European Hematology Association’s 2025 congress in Milan. The investigational treatment is being tested in patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma, a population with limited options after standard therapies fail.

The ongoing phase Ib study (NCT05421663) has enrolled 51 patients. Investigators reported that, among the 25 individuals evaluated at the recommended phase-2 dose of 75 million CAR-positive T cells, responses were described as “near-universal.” Importantly, no grade 3 or 4 cytokine-release syndrome was observed, and the overall safety profile was characterised as manageable.

While detailed durability data are still maturing, the early efficacy and safety signals position JNJ-90014496 as a potential competitor to existing single-target CAR-T products. Johnson & Johnson plans to expand enrolment and advance to larger studies to confirm the depth and duration of response and to further assess long-term safety.

During the ongoing sex crimes trial of Sean Combs, a Homeland Security Investigations agent testified about the findings from a March 2024 raid on Combs’ Los Angeles residence. The agent detailed the seizure of approximately 900 bottles of AstroGlide lubricant and around 200 bottles of Johnson & Johnson baby oil, both purchased in bulk. Additionally, the raid uncovered an assortment of drugs, guns, and armor-piercing ammunition. Testimony also included a former assistant's claim that Combs introduced honey as a new ingredient in his sexual activities.

Ketamine, first developed as a surgical anesthetic in the 1960s, has seen a marked rise in both medical and recreational use in the United States and the United Kingdom. In the US, the number of clinics administering ketamine infusions has grown from about 60 in 2015 to between 1,200 and 1,500 as of 2025. In New York City, more than a dozen ketamine clinics have opened in recent years, with many located in Midtown East, Murray Hill, and expanding into Brooklyn. This trend is attributed to affordable rents and proximity to other medical practices.

Read more

Johnson & Johnson's trispecific antibody treatment has demonstrated promising early results in clinical trials for heavily pretreated multiple myeloma patients, a cancer traditionally considered incurable with a median survival of about one year. The treatment, developed in collaboration with a Chinese biotech firm and Wake Forest University, was tested on 97 patients in the US, showing a median survival of 60.7 months. Notably, 32 patients remained relapse-free for over five years, suggesting a potential cure. This advancement marks a significant development in blood cancer therapy, although the treatment's cost exceeds $500,000, posing accessibility challenges for developing countries.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Johnson & Johnson's (ticker: JNJ) new immune disorder drug, Imaavy, for the treatment of generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) in patients aged 12 and older who test positive for either anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) or anti-muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) antibodies. This approval positions Imaavy as a potential blockbuster product expected to drive growth for Johnson & Johnson. Separately, advances in gene therapy and CAR-T cell therapies continue to show promise in treating rare and severe immune and cancer disorders.

A phase 1–2 study demonstrated that lentiviral gene therapy significantly improved survival in children with leukocyte adhesion deficiency type 1 without the need for hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. Additionally, experimental CAR-T therapies are being developed to treat autoimmune diseases without the toxic pre-treatment chemotherapy typically required, with in vivo CAR-T therapies showing complete remission in some cases without lymphodepletion or severe side effects. Other gene therapies, such as Zynteglo for beta thalassemia, have also shown lasting benefits, eliminating the need for blood transfusions. These developments mark important progress in immunotherapy and gene therapy, offering new treatment options for patients with rare and difficult-to-treat diseases.

Johnson & Johnson reported its first-quarter earnings for 2025, with adjusted earnings per share (EPS) reaching $2.77, surpassing the consensus estimate of $2.60. The company's sales for the quarter totaled $21.89 billion, a 2.4% increase year-over-year and above the expected $21.58 billion. Despite these strong results, Johnson & Johnson anticipates about $400 million in tariff-related costs this year, primarily affecting its medical technology unit due to tariffs against China and retaliatory measures. CFO Joe Wolk noted that the company is taking a cautious approach to the U.S. government's trade policies.

The company's pharmaceutical division also performed well, with revenue of approximately $13.9 billion, exceeding expectations. Johnson & Johnson highlighted several key drugs and experimental therapies during its earnings call, expressing confidence that sales of the cancer drug combination Rybrevant and Lazcluze could reach about twice the current Wall Street estimates by 2027. CEO Joaquin Duato emphasized the importance of tax policy over tariffs to encourage U.S. manufacturing, as the company plans to invest $55 billion over the next four years to produce advanced medicines in the U.S. Despite the tariff concerns, the company maintained its full-year earnings guidance at $10.60 per share and raised its sales outlook for 2025.