- Protecting the environment
- Valuing our people
- Ethical research and development
- Patient safety and product quality
Protecting the environment
Our business is improving the health and well-being of patients everywhere. To fulfil this goal, we must protect the environments in which we work and live. A healthy planet and a healthy community go hand in hand.
We set high standards for our operating companies in the area of environmental responsibility — striving for performance that does not merely comply with regulations but reduces our environmental impact. We have a responsibility to take care of our planet and preserve its beauty, resources and strength for current and future generations.
A pure example of environmental commitment
Our research facility in Beerse (Belgium) has its own water purification centre. This reflects our dedication to being environmentally responsible in how we develop and produce our medicines. Taking our environmental protection a step further, our European headquarters have invested €13 million in environmental care. This is how we are closing the gap between issues and solutions.
Balancing objectives
Our challenge is to reach a healthy balance between environmental awareness, economic success and social responsibility. And we work hard to manage our environmental impact through stewardship of natural resources such as water, by improving efficiency in energy and raw materials, and also by appropriately eliminating waste.
Each year, we organize an ‘Energy Week’ in Janssen companies. Our ability to impact the environment is not taken lightly by our employees worldwide. As global citizens, we are aware of measures that can save energy both at home and at work.
Valuing our people
When you feel your best, you do your best. But when something is troubling or hurting you, it’s difficult to set those concerns aside and focus on work.
We at Janssen provide our employees with a safe, flexible and adaptable workplace, within a setting where diversity and inclusion are highly respected. This helps our employees live healthier and safer lives – at home, at work and on the road. A safe, healthy working environment benefits our people and supports our business
Improving lives
With over 6,000 Janssen employees throughout the region, we value organizational excellence, commitment to a high-performing culture and a strong customer focus. Every day, our employees innovate, create, develop and improve our products. Their enthusiasm about Janssen is infectious and our customers and partners pick up on it.
Promoting the health and well-being of all our people remains a core priority. We strive to do what’s right for them.
Ethical Research & Development
We adhere to the highest ethical standards in the work that is conducted in our laboratories and in our clinical research with people, across our Family of Companies. We continuously review our research policies to ensure that we effectively balance our drive for innovation with sound ethical practice.
- In the laboratory
- Clinical trials
- In the developing world
In the laboratory
- We are committed to operating our innovative business responsibly in alignment with high ethical and societal norms for all aspects of our scientific research activities. We faithfully adhere to research policies of accepted international standards that address the specific issues of animal welfare, stem cell research and genetically manipulated organisms. Advanced scientific research is essential to the successful discovery and development of new and improved medicines.
- Potential medicines proceed through chemical, preclinical, and pharmaceutical development. Some preclinical tests are performed in test tubes and some have to be done on animals. Regulations in Europe, the USA and other countries ensure that animal experiments are only performed where necessary, using careful and humane techniques. We are trying to reduce the number of animal experiments needed by, for example, adopting new techniques for measuring the doses of drugs in the human body – too small to cause any harm.
Clinical trials
Janssen sponsors and supports clinical trials in more than 40 countries, allowing for a wide diversity among populations participating in research. We take our responsibility seriously towards the people taking part in our studies and we adhere rigorously to the principles of good clinical practice. Our ‘Ethical Code of Conduct for R&D’ is intended to provide specific standards of conduct and behaviour for physicians, clinical research scientists and others who are responsible for medical aspects of research and development.
Bringing new medicines to life
Clinical trials are the means by which we study the effects of a potential new medicine in people. We investigate the safety and efficacy of the candidate drug, and how it behaves in the body (absorption, distribution, excretion).The new medicine must pass through three clinical stages before it can be launched: healthy volunteers (phase 1) and patients (phase 2 and 3).
Our clinical trials are conducted in strictly controlled settings, and are required before the authorities will approve the treatment. The testing doesn’t stop when the medicine reaches the market. Phase 4 trials are conducted to study the long-term effects of the product. The safety of the drug, any rare side effects and other diseases it may treat are continually monitored in patients around the world.
In the developing world
Our efforts also encompass finding diagnostics, treatments and ways to deliver them where they are needed most. We have committed many resources to the discovery and development of new, improved treatments for infectious diseases that affect the developing world.
Patient Safety and Product Quality
The safety of the patients who use our medicines is our top priority. Quality and safety policies drive every step of product design, manufacturing and marketing across our business. Our commitment to patient safety continues after medicines enter the market. Further research is conducted to study the long-term effects of the medicine, any rare side effects and other diseases it may treat.
Top quality medicine
We work continuously to minimize the risks and maximize the benefits of each of our products. Our quality control is dedicated to ensuring that our medicines are safe and efficient and comply fully with all regulatory requirements.
Ingredient and product safety
Product quality and safety are continuously assessed over the whole life cycle of a medicine : from formulation to production, analysis, packaging and distribution. Materials and ingredients are checked to ensure purity, safety and efficacy. For example, the presence of impurities or breakdown products can be tracked down much better with the latest analysis methods. If necessary, we can adapt the production process and even the formulation of the drug to obtain an even purer product. Our analytical laboratories thoroughly check the quality and stability of the finished products before they are distributed to our customers.
Built-in quality
The close collaboration between Janssen and external production partners raises the quality of the development and production process to a higher level. The Johnson & Johnson Standards for Responsible External Manufacturing help us select partners, and they help our manufacturing partners understand our expectations.
Safety of products in the marketplace
We are committed to the safe use of our products by informing and educating members of the medical profession. The details in the patient information leaflet (PIL) also help patients understand how to use our medicines wisely.