, Columnist
J&J Needs a Fix for a Pharma Slowdown
It looks increasingly motivated to get an Actelion deal done.
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Anyone in biopharma hoping for Johnson & Johnson's fourth-quarter earnings to dispel their Trump-related gloom was disappointed Tuesday morning.
J&J's revenue missed expectations, and its 2017 profit guidance fell short. It's no time to panic; J&J's CFO chalked the guidance disappointment up to foreign-exchange issues. But the warning highlights how hard it is for a company of J&J's size to generate growth and why it is considering a big, complicated deal for Swiss biotech Actelion Ltd.