Prescription drugs, medical devices boost J&J in Q4

By TOM MURPHY
AP Health Writer

Growing prescription drug and medical device sales nudged Johnson & Johnson past fourth-quarter earnings expectations, and the health care giant’s COVID-19 vaccine gained momentum as well. J&J’s one-shot vaccine rang up $1.62 billion in sales in the last quarter of 2021, or more than double what it had recorded before the quarter. The vaccine wound up bringing in $2.38 billion last year, or slightly less than what company leaders have said they expected. J&J said Tuesday that it forecasts vaccine sales of $3 billion to $3.5 billion this year too, as countries continue to fight variants of the coronavirus.