Because of the success of our products we have seen a huge expansion since 1994. That year the product REOPRO® obtained approval from the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) and obtained a commercial license from the then European registration authorities.
In 1999 the FDA and the European Commission (they grant licenses after positive advice of the CHMP – formerly CMPMP) also granted approval for Europe for our product REMICADE®. In 1998 REMICADE® was approved for medical use in the United States and the Far East. REMICADE® is used for the treatment of Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
In October 1999 Centocor was taken over by Johnson & Johnson.
In 2000 Centocor was awarded the national and international Galenus Prize for the most innovative and significant drug REMICADE®.
The number of employees has increased significantly over the years. Currently Centocor BV employs approximately 950 staff.
Working on new medicines
After the introduction of REOPRO® in 1994 and REMICADE® in 1999, we have worked in particular, on improving our production processes for both production lines. The number of indications for, in particular, REMICADE® has increased. The product has seven indications registered in more than 80 countries. For all pharmaceutical companies it is of the utmost importance to keep investing in a healthy pipeline with new products. Centocor is rather successful in doing so and has a number of promising products in the planning. Centocor is a key player in the path of preparation toward launching new products onto the market. The Clinical Research department in Leiden is responsible for the coordination of research in Europe, Asia, Oceania and Africa. For six new products, clinical studies were performed in 2008 for, amongst others, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, systemic lupus erythematosus and various forms of cancer. In 2008 the registration department has submitted application for two new products, SIMPONI® and STELARA®, with the registration authorities of EMEA (European Medicines Agency).
