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§ Private Profile · Malvern, PA, USA
biotechnology company developing and manufacturing monoclonal antibody drugs for autoimmune diseases, oncology, and organ transplantation.
Key people at Centocor.
Founded in 1979 by Hubert Schoemaker, Centocor is a Horsham, Pennsylvania biotechnology company developing monoclonal antibody drugs for autoimmune diseases, oncology, and organ transplantation. The enterprise operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of parent company Johnson & Johnson following a $4.9 billion acquisition in 1999. Its flagship biopharmaceutical product, Remicade, treats rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease, generating sales exceeding $1.3 billion in 2003 alongside other key medications like Doxil, Leustatin, and the immunosuppressant Orthoclone. Under the leadership of President Kim Taylor, Chief Biotechnology Officer Jay Siegel, and executive Jerome Boscia, the firm expanded globally by investing €500 million into a Ringaskiddy, Ireland manufacturing facility employing over 230 personnel. To further consolidate its broader pharmaceutical operations and research initiatives, the organization officially merged with Ortho Biotech in 2008 to form the new entity Centocor Ortho Biotech.
Key people at Centocor.
Centocor was a pioneering biotechnology company founded in 1979, specializing in monoclonal antibody technology for diagnostics and therapeutics, particularly for autoimmune diseases, cancer, and inflammatory conditions.[1][2][3][4] Best known for developing Remicade (infliximab), a blockbuster drug approved for Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other indications, it initially focused on diagnostic assays before expanding into high-impact therapeutics like ReoPro and oncology drugs such as Doxil.[1][3][4] The company served patients with chronic illnesses through innovative biologics, solving unmet needs in immunology and gastroenterology, and achieved significant growth, employing 1,500 by 1992 with production facilities in the US and Europe, before its $4.9 billion acquisition by Johnson & Johnson in 1999.[1][2][4]
Centocor emerged in May 1979 from the vision of Dutch-born biochemist Hubert J.P. Schoemaker and entrepreneur Michael Wall, inspired by early biotech breakthroughs like monoclonal antibodies.[1][2][4][5] Wall left Flow Laboratories to lead a team of scientists aiming to commercialize diagnostics, partnering with institutions like the Wistar Institute under immunologist Hilary Koprowski.[2][5] Schoemaker chaired the company until the J&J acquisition.[1] Early traction came from licensing antibody-based diagnostic tests, such as an ovarian cancer assay sold to Abbott in 1981, fueling growth through collaborations that expanded from 15 in 1985 to 80 by 1990.[2][5] A pivotal setback was the 1992-1993 failure of Centoxin, its first solo therapeutic for sepsis, which halted trials due to adverse events and nearly collapsed the firm, but survival via diagnostics cash reserves ($150 million) enabled rebounds with ReoPro approval in 1994 and Remicade's 1998 launch.[2][4]
Centocor rode the 1970s-1980s biotech revolution, capitalizing on monoclonal antibody discoveries to bridge diagnostics and therapeutics amid rising demand for targeted treatments for sepsis, cancer, and autoimmune diseases like Crohn's and rheumatoid arthritis.[1][2][5] Timing was ideal post-1970s breakthroughs, with market forces like annual sepsis costs ($10 billion, 100,000 US deaths) and unmet immunology needs favoring its model.[4][5] It influenced the ecosystem by proving biotech viability—surviving failures like Centoxin via diversified revenue—paving the way for J&J's biotech expansion (e.g., Ortho Biotech in 1990) and inspiring licensing-heavy strategies in modern biopharma.[2][3][4]
Post-1999 acquisition, Centocor integrated into J&J's Janssen Biotech (rebranded ~2011), amplifying Remicade's legacy while evolving into broader immunology and oncology portfolios.[3][4] Biosimilars and patent cliffs challenged Remicade sales, but J&J's resources drove successors in gastroenterology, rheumatology, and dermatology. Looking ahead, Centocor's foundational mAb expertise positions Janssen amid trends like personalized medicine, ADCs, and AI-drug discovery, potentially expanding influence in immune-oncology. Its story—from scrappy diagnostics pioneer to J&J powerhouse—exemplifies biotech's high-risk path to transformative impact, reminding investors that resilience amid setbacks defines enduring leaders in lifesciences.
