Driving Change In Mental Health Through Science And Community

Main Category: Mental Health
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 02 Oct 2008 - 9:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

Today, Janssen-Cilag are celebrating their 50 year commitment to researching and developing innovative medicines to help improve the lives of people with mental health problems. Back in 1958, the late Dr. Paul Janssen developed one of the first anti-psychotic drugs, which proved to be a real breakthrough in the treatment of schizophrenia and hailed the onset of a new era for patients being treated outside of institutions. Over the past 50 years, Janssen-Cilag have developed several new compounds in the field of mental health, constantly raising the bar in treatment expectations for many patients.

However, much more still needs to be done in the area of mental health. Each patient is different and there is no drug or treatment that fits all, hence the need for continued cutting edge research and development to not only provide new medications but create tailor made treatment options for patients in the future.

Today, the company wishes to pay tribute to this heritage in psychiatry, but also wants to look ahead and showcase its future developments in the treatment of diseases of the central nervous system. Now more than ever, Janssen-Cilag's aim and ultimate target remains to fulfill unmet medical needs and to ensure the well-being of patients and their families.

The celebration which takes place at Janssen Pharmaceutica in Beerse (Belgium) on Thursday, October 2nd, includes exhibitions and education for the company's employees and an academic session in the evening for psychiatrists and others interested in the field of mental health.

History

Janssen-Cilag originates from the merger of the pharmaceutical groups within Johnson & Johnson (J&J), namely Janssen and Cilag. Dr Paul Janssen established Janssen Pharmaceutica in 1953 in Belgium. Cilag (an acronym of Chemical Industry Laboratory AG) was founded in Switzerland (Schaffhausen) in 1936.

Janssen-Cilag