J&J looks to climate of opportunity

After an increase in profits for 2008 over 2007, Johnson & Johnson has forecast a less positive outlook for the current year's trading.

J&J reported full year's sales for 2008 across its entire business of $63.7bn, an increase of 4.3 per cent on the previous year. Excluding special items, net profit was €12.9bn, 6.8 per cent more than 2007.

The US company was helped by a favourable currency effect for most of 2008 until the end of the year when the strengthening of the dollar reversed the trend. Fourth quarter net profit increased by 3.1 per cent from the same period in 2007 to $2.6bn.