The updated identity is part of international sweeping changes by J&J as the big pharma unites its medtech and pharmaceutical wings. Image credit: Shutterstock/Ink Drop.

An iconic name in the pharma industry has vanished in the UK as Janssen – Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) pharmaceutical segment – will now be known as Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine.

The updated identity is part of international sweeping changes by J&J as the big pharma unites its medtech and pharmaceutical wings under a common brand name. J&J announced the new brand in September 2023 with the new logo, colours and font that have been rolling out over time.

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Though Janssen is changing its name, J&J’s medical device division – Johnson & Johnson MedTech – will stay the same.

The changes in the UK coincide with J&J celebrating 100 years of operations in the territory, the company said in a 1 May press release. J&J opened its first overseas operating company in Slough, UK, in 1924. Janssen joined the party in 1971, ten years after it came under the J&J umbrella. Janssen itself was founded in Belgium in 1953.

The most striking change to J&J’s visual identity was the revamp of its logo. J&J decided to forgo its famous cursive script insignia, which it had been using for the past 130 years, in favour of a more modern font. The original logo was based on co-founder James Wood Johnson’s handwritten signature from a check to a railroad freight master.

J&J’s now defunct cursive logo. Image credit: J&J

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine UK and Ireland’s managing director Roz Bekker said: “Though our name for our pharmaceutical segment may have changed, our ambition hasn’t. Over the past 100 years, our first responsibility has always been to the patients, doctors and nurses that we serve.”

J&J has not been the only big pharma to recently modernise and tighten its brand identity. Sanofi brought its business units together under a singular name two years ago. As part of the changes, the company also unveiled a new logo. Last year, GSK rebranded as it demerged its consumer healthcare unit. Previously known as GlaxoSmithKline, the drugmaker is now known only by its acronym.

J&J reported strong Q1 financial performance with sales up by 2.3% to $21.4bn. The growth in innovative medicine worldwide operational sales, not including its Covid-19 vaccine, was 8.3%. This was mainly driven by cancer products Darzalex (daratumumab), Erleada (apalutamide), Carvykti (ciltacabtagene autoleucel) and Tecvayli (teclistamab-cqyv).