Johnson & Johnson to stay out of obesity drugs, focus on cancer, CEO says

Investing.com -- Johnson & Johnson will not enter the obesity drug market, Chief Executive Officer Joaquin Duato said Tuesday. The company plans to concentrate on cancer and neuroscience instead.

Duato made the comments during an interview with Carlyle Group cofounder David Rubenstein at the Economic Club of Washington, DC. The decision separates J&J from competitors working to develop or buy obesity treatments after successful weight-loss drugs from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.

"We are not going to be in the GLP-1 area," Duato said. He pointed to oncology and neuroscience as areas where the company can make a larger impact.

The New Brunswick, New Jersey-based company wants to become the top cancer company globally. "Our goal is to be No. 1 by 2030," Duato said. J&J currently leads in treatments for multiple myeloma, a bone marrow cancer, and produces lung cancer medicines. In 2025, the company paid $3.05 billion in cash for Halda Therapeutics to gain access to a new oral therapy for prostate cancer.

Duato identified dementia as a major healthcare challenge. "I think this is the most important problem," he said, noting that J&J continues research investments in neurodegenerative diseases despite previous setbacks.

The CEO said artificial intelligence could speed up drug discovery and improve medical devices, particularly in robotic surgery. "We are just at the beginning," Duato said, describing J&J as being in early stages of a growth cycle driven by pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

J&J has reshaped its business after spinning off consumer-health unit Kenvue Inc., which includes Tylenol and Band-Aid brands, and separating its orthopedics division. The company reported a 47% total shareholder return in 2025.

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