J&J signs pledge to combat antimicrobial resistance at Davos summit

Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ) is one of more than 80 companies and organizations to sign the Declaration on Combating Antimicrobial Resistance, which was launched at the annual gathering of global bigwigs in Davos, Switzerland. "We are pleased to be part of this important initiative to combat antimicrobial resistance," Dr. Paul Stoffels, chief scientific officer and worldwide chairman of the company's pharmaceuticals unit, said in a statement. "Antimicrobials are the backbone of modern medicine, and have played a key role in increasing life expectancy globally. At Johnson & Johnson, our long-standing commitment to innovation in antimicrobial R&D is evident through our legacy products and our new efforts to support ongoing research. For the world to continue to have new antibiotics, we need investments in basic science and novel incentive models for industry R&D, and to protect our existing treatments, we need new frameworks for appropriate use." J&J used to sell Vitros immunodiagnostic systems to diagnose infectious diseases, but in 2014 sold the Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics division for $4 billion to the Carlyle Group. More