Johnson & Johnson said Oct. 12 that Paul Stoffels, MD, its chief scientific officer, will retire Dec. 31.
Dr. Stoffels, who also serves as vice chairman of the executive committee, was previously worldwide chairman of pharmaceuticals for Johnson & Johnson and led the transformation of the pharmaceutical research and development pipeline for Janssen, Johnson & Johnson's pharmaceutical business, increasing productivity and making the R&D program an industry-wide model.
He also spearheaded development of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine.
"It has been an honor and privilege to spearhead Johnson & Johnson's innovation agenda and propel transformational innovation to deliver years of life and quality of life to millions of people around the world," Dr. Stoffels said in a news release. "As I reflect on the work of our talented and dedicated teams around the world, I am proud of the impact we have made and confident that our vibrant community of world-leading scientists and engineers will position our company for continued success."
Dr. Stoffels established Johnson & Johnson Global Public Health, which has the goal of improving access to care in low- and middle-income countries.
"Paul is an exceptional human being, inspiring people every day. His remarkable capability of bringing a vision and a mission to life, and his commitment to improving and saving lives globally, pulled the organization forward and generated a huge impact on global health and on the trajectory of Johnson & Johnson," Alex Gorsky, CEO of Johnson & Johnson, said in the news release.
Joaquin Duato, who will become Johnson & Johnson's next CEO Jan. 3, said, "Under Paul's leadership, the Janssen R&D teams developed more than 25 new medicines across multiple therapeutic areas. Seven of these medicines have been added to the Essential Medicines List of the World Health Organization, a recognition for the huge impact these medicines are making for patients worldwide."
The company did not say who will replace Dr. Stoffels as chief scientific officer.
Read the full news release here.