JNJ

Johnson & Johnson's oncology and immunology pipeline is firing on multiple cylinders, but a collapsing blockbuster drug and mounting litigation costs threaten to cancel out every gain. Here is whether the bull case or the headwinds win.

AbbVie and Johnson and Johnson both trade near 52-week highs and carry decades of dividend raises, but one faces a patent cliff and a leveraged balance sheet that could force retirees to rethink their income strategy completely.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) said its Tremfya treatment significantly improved spinal pain and stiffness in adults with axial psoriatic arthritis in a Phase 4 study. The company said Tremfya met the study's primary endpoint at week 24, showing greater improvement than placebo on a disease activity measure that includes spinal pain and stiffness.

Topline results show TREMFYA met the primary and major secondary endpoints of axial involvement in PsA - including spinal pain and stiffness - and demonstrated significant improvement in MRI-confirmed inflammation First-ever study to use objective MRI assessments to confirm presence of axial involvement and demonstrate axial inflammation reduction in PsA SPRING HOUSE, Pa., Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) today announced that TREMFYA® (guselkumab) met the primary and major secondary endpoints demonstrating both improvement in axial symptoms and reduction in inflammation by MRI assessment in the Phase 4 STAR study evaluating biologic-naïve adults with active psoriatic arthritis and axial involvement (axial PsA).

New results suggest earlier treatment may increase the likelihood of long-term remission Study adds  to Johnson & Johnson's overwhelming body of evidence supporting its innovative multiple myeloma therapies in second line, where earlier intervention may increase long-term remission and disease control RARITAN, N.J., Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), a worldwide leader in multiple myeloma therapies, announced today new long-term follow-up data from the initial subgroup of cohort A in the Phase 2 CARTITUDE-2 study (N=20) showing that 50% of patients (10/20) in early line relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) who were treated with a single infusion of CARVYKTI® (ciltacabtagene autoleucel; cilta-cel) remained alive and progression-free for at least five years without maintenance therapy.1 These results build on the durable, treatment-free remissions observed in the CARTITUDE-1 study, which evaluated patients in later lines of therapy, and reinforce that earlier treatment with CARVYKTI® may increase long-term remission and disease control.

When a retiree compares a federally insured CD to a dividend stock that has raised its payout for 70 straight years, the choice turns on a factor most income calculators ignore entirely.

Johnson & Johnson trades at a 30% P/E premium to AbbVie (24.2x vs. 18.8x on FY1 basis). The premium is further amplified on a PEGY basis (4.80x vs. 2.33x) when yield and growth are factored in. However, JNJ's premium is well justified by its conservative balance sheet and superior capital allocation flexibility.

Analysis shows ~87% of patients treated with TECVAYLI® plus DARZALEX FASPRO® as early as second line were estimated to have comparable mortality risk to the general population A separate analysis shows the survival benefit was driven by a 90% reduction in the risk of multiple myeloma progression versus standard of care, with no significant difference in rates of non-relapse mortality  Johnson & Johnson is advancing a differentiated multiple myeloma portfolio designed to deliver deeper, more durable disease control and improve long-term outcomes for patients  RARITAN, N.J., Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), a worldwide leader in multiple myeloma therapies, today announced new data from the Phase 3 MajesTEC-3 study showing sustained disease control and survival with TECVAYLI® (teclistamab-cqyv) plus DARZALEX FASPRO® (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj) in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) who had received 1-3 prior lines of therapy.1,2 Using a relative survival mixture cure model (MCM) and actual progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) data from the trial, statistical modeling estimated that ~87% of patients treated with TECVAYLI® plus DARZALEX FASPRO ®  (Tec-Dara) may experience a mortality risk and projected life expectancy similar to an age-matched general population.1 Modeling further predicted that median overall survival with Tec-Dara would be nearly four-fold longer than with the standard of care (SOC) comparator in the study, dexamethasone with pomalidomide or bortezomib (DPd/DVd).

Patent cliffs have buried lesser pharma dividends, yet these four Big Pharma giants keep raising payouts despite losing blockbuster exclusivities worth billions.

J&J's Caplyta shows rapid and significant improvement in bipolar mania symptoms in a pivotal phase III study.