Grant Playter

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) announced its plans to pay $8.9 billion to resolve litigation regarding its cosmetic talc powder. The litigation, which alleges that the company’s talcum powder was linked to ovarian cancer and mesothelioma, were brought forth by lawyers representing nearly 70,000 affected individuals. In a public statement released on April 4, 2023, the company reiterated that neither this re-filing nor the original filing was an admission of wrongdoing or an indication that the company believed its talcum powder products are unsafe.

J&J’s subsidiary, LTL Management, has re-filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to obtain approval of a reorganization plan to enable the $8.9 billion payment, which would be payable over 25 years. This payment represents a $6.9 billion increase to the company’s original commitment in October 2021, when it initially filed for bankruptcy.

“The [c]ompany continues to believe that these claims are specious and lack scientific merit,” said Erik Haas, worldwide vice-president of Litigation, J&J, in the release. “However, as the Bankruptcy Court recognized, resolving these cases in the tort system would take decades and impose significant costs on LTL and the system, with most claimants never receiving any compensation. Resolving this matter through the proposed reorganization plan is both more equitable and more efficient, allows claimants to be compensated in a timely manner, and enables the [c]ompany to remain focused on [its] commitment to profoundly and positively impact health for humanity.”

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If approved, Johnson & Johnson would pay $8.9 billion to resolve all current and future claims in its ongoing talc litigation.

J&J Proposes $8.9 Billion Payment in Talc Powder Litigation

Claudio Fayad, VP of Technology, Process Systems, and Solutions discusses the intersection of automation and data security in the pharma industry. Topics of discussion include:

Pharma 4.0 and how to bridge the IT/OT divide.

Balancing automation and human oversight.

Novel technologies and practices in the data security space.

For more from the Emerson Automation exchange interview series, check 

Claudio Fayad, VP of Technology, Process Systems, and Solutions discusses the intersection of automation and data security in the pharma industry.

Addressing Data Security with Claudio Fayad (Emerson Automation Exchange)

Nathan Pettus, president of Process Systems and Solutions at Emerson, discusses how automation is impacting recent sustainability technologies and solutions. Topics of discussion, among others, include:

Recent Emerson sustainability initatives and the intersection between automation and sustainability in life sciences.

Emerson's partnership with AspenTech and the advent of "one-click transfer technology.

Underlooked technologies and innovations.

Nathan Pettus, president of Process Systems and Solutions at Emerson, discusses how automation is impacting recent sustainability technologies and solutions.

Exploring Automation and Sustainability with Nathan Pettus (Emerson Automation Exchange)

Sartorius announced on March 31, 2023, that it had agreed to acquire Polyplus, a company specializing in developing materials for cell and gene therapies, for €2.4 billion (US$2.6 billion). Polyplus is a French developer and producer of transfection reagents, as well as various other DNA/RNA delivery reagents, ingredients critical in the production of viral vectors. According to a company press release, in addition to transfection reagents Polyplus has broadened its upstream portfolio for gene therapies through acquisitions in plasmid design, protein manufacturing, and plasmid manufacturing.

“The innovative solutions of Polyplus are highly complementary to our portfolio, in particular to our offering of cell culture media and critical components for the development and manufacture of advanced therapies, and there are also strong synergies with our portfolio of downstream solutions for the manufacture of gene therapeutics,” said René Fáber, member of the Executive Board, head of Bioprocess Solutions, Sartorius, in the release. “In the dynamically growing market for cell and gene therapies, viral vectors are needed to deliver the genes of interest into cells. The development pipeline of such therapies has been growing strongly and more and more are reaching major milestones. As a leading supplier of critical components to produce cell and gene therapies, Sartorius and Polyplus together will be excellently positioned to play a significant role in this dynamic field.”

“We would be excited to join forces with a world class bioprocess market leader as Sartorius,” said Mario Philips, CEO, Polyplus, in the release. “Our combined portfolios would create a unique ability to optimize the total process workflow to deliver unparalleled value for cell/gene and DNA/RNA therapy customers, in a strong effort to make these critical needed therapies more affordable.”

Sartorius signed an agreement to make the acquisition through its subgroup, Sartorius Stedim Biotech. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2023.

Sartorius’ acquisition of Polyplus is designed to strengthen its cell and gene therapy capabilities.

Sartorius to Acquire Polyplus in $2.6 Billion Deal

Grant Playter, associate editor, hosted various on-site interviews at the Emerson Automation Exchange in Grapevine, Texas, from October 24th to October 28th, 2022. This four-part video series takes executives from four branches of Emerson to discuss various aspects of automation and pharma.

Exploring Automation and Sustainability with Nathan Pettus (Emerson Exchange)

Discussing Manufacturing Operations with Michalle Adkins (Emerson Automation Exchange)

Michalle Adkins, director of Life Sciences Consulting at Emerson, discusses the structure of manufacturing organizations and how novel technologies may play a role in operations.

Examining Software as a Solution with Monil Malhotra (Emerson Automation Exchange)

Monil Malhotra, vice-president of Industrial Software at Emerson, discusses the growing demand for software solutions in the pharma industry.

Interviews hosted on-site at the Emerson Automation Exchange in Grapevine, Texas, from October 24th to October 28th, 2022.

Emerson Automation Exchange Highlights

As part of ongoing coverage of DCAT, the PharmTech editors touched base with Pierre Luzeau, CEO of Seqens. In in our discussion, Pierre discussed various aspects of sustainability, including:

The extensive measures his company has put in place to committ to sustainability

Underappreciated practices and techniques that contribute to sustainability

Why sustainability will be so pivotal for biopharma companies over the course of the next ten years.

For more of our coverage on DCAT in 2023, viewers can visit 

Pierre Luzeau, CEO of Seqens, discusses Seqen's commitment to sustainability and how one can work toward it within their own company.