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  • Johnson & Johnson completes acquisition of Halda Therapeutics and its novel platform to revolutionize cancer treatment and enable next-generation oral therapies

    NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ (December 29, 2025) – Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) (the “Company”) today announced the successful completion of its acquisition of Halda Therapeutics OpCo, Inc. (“Halda”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company with a proprietary Regulated Induced Proximity TArgeting Chimera (RIPTAC™) platform to develop oral, targeted therapies for multiple types of solid tumors, including prostate cancer, for $3.05 billion in cash.

    “This strategic milestone underscores our commitment to redefining cancer treatment with breakthrough science and transformative medicines,” said Jennifer Taubert, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Chairman, Innovative Medicine, Johnson & Johnson. “We are excited to formally welcome the talented Halda team to Johnson & Johnson and look forward to working together to achieve our shared goal of eliminating cancer.”

    With this acquisition, Johnson & Johnson adds HLD-0915, a clinical-stage therapy for prostate cancer, building on the Company’s nearly two decades of innovation in this disease area. HLD-0915 is a once-daily oral therapy that uses a novel RIPTAC™ platform with a precision cancer cell-killing approach that can overcome mechanisms of resistance to treatment. Additionally, the Company adds several earlier candidates for breast, lung and multiple other tumor types, based on RIPTAC™ technology, to its leading oncology portfolio. The novel technology may also enable the creation of transformative targeted therapies beyond oncology.

    “Johnson & Johnson continuously seeks new ways to meet patient needs and deliver innovative therapies,” said John C. Reed, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Innovative Medicine, R&D, Johnson & Johnson. “Now that we have finalized this acquisition, we will focus on advancing the potential of this promising pipeline of novel product candidates and harnessing the powerful RIPTAC™ platform to discover more molecules in oncology and beyond.”

    The acquisition will be accounted for as a business combination. With the transaction now closing in 2025, Johnson & Johnson expects dilution in Q4 2025 and 2026 earnings. The total dilution to Adjusted Earnings Per Share (EPS) of approximately $0.20 is expected to split equally between 2025 and 2026 based on the latest estimates for the non-recurring charge related to Halda employee equity awards, financing and integration costs. Johnson & Johnson will provide commentary on full year 2026 guidance during the fourth quarter earnings call on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.

    About Johnson & Johnson
    At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow and profoundly impact health for humanity.

    Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/ or at www.innovativemedicine.jnj.com. Follow us @JNJInnovMed.

    Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements:
    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 related to the acquisition of Halda. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions regarding future events, and are subject to uncertainties, risks and changes that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of Johnson & Johnson’s control. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate, or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results and financial condition could vary materially from the expectations and projections Johnson & Johnson expressed or implied in its forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the satisfaction of closing conditions for the acquisition; the possibility that the transaction will not be completed in the expected timeframe or at all; the potential that the expected benefits and opportunities of the acquisition, if completed, may not be realized or may take longer to realize than expected; challenges inherent in product research and development, including uncertainty of clinical success and obtaining regulatory approvals; uncertainty of commercial success for new products; economic conditions, including currency exchange and interest rate fluctuations; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges to patents; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including tax laws and global health care reforms; adverse litigation or government action; changes in behavior and spending patterns or financial distress of purchasers of health care products and services; and trends toward health care cost containment. In addition, if and when the transaction is consummated, there will be risks and uncertainties related to the ability of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies to successfully integrate Halda as well as the ability to ensure successful development and regulatory approval of Halda’s programs. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including in the sections captioned “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” and in Johnson & Johnson’s subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com, www.investor.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. Johnson & Johnson does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments.


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  • RIKEN fabricates single-photon sources from carbon nanotubes

    29 Dec 2025

    Atomically precise sources promise new quantum optical applications.

    Tiny tubes of carbon that emit single photons from just one point along their length have been made in a deterministic manner by RIKEN researchers. Such carbon…

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  • AYANEO Pocket PLAY revives slider phone with 165Hz OLED

    AYANEO Pocket PLAY revives slider phone with 165Hz OLED

    The widely rumored return of a slider-style gaming phone is finally real, and its headline feature is squarely aimed at competitive players. The AYANEO Pocket PLAY, a current-gen reimagining of the old Xperia Play idea, is set to be equipped with…

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  • News: CRISPR rewrites germline memory to test epigenetic inheritance

    News: CRISPR rewrites germline memory to test epigenetic inheritance

    The question of whether environmental factors can alter traits in future generations through epigenetic changes rather than DNA sequence mutations has long been controversial in genetics. Observations of disease and metabolic changes in offspring…

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  • Turkey’s ancient, caffeine-free coffee alternative

    Turkey’s ancient, caffeine-free coffee alternative

    Archaeobotanical findings suggest that menengiç – or something resembling it – may have even deeper roots. At the Neolithic site of Göbekli Tepe, a Unesco-listed site two hours east of Gaziantep, researchers have found the remains of wild…

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  • How to Set Up a VPN on Your PS5 or Xbox Without a PC

    How to Set Up a VPN on Your PS5 or Xbox Without a PC

    Your PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X or S consoles don’t support VPN apps directly, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enhance your gaming privacy using a VPN anyway. While you can use a VPN on your PC to bridge a connection to other devices…

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  • ‘Just like so many families’: US parents of addicted kids relate to the Reiners – but fear stigma | US news

    ‘Just like so many families’: US parents of addicted kids relate to the Reiners – but fear stigma | US news

    When news broke that Rob and Michele Singer Reiner had been killed and a possible suspect was their son, Nick Reiner, who had struggled with addiction and mental health issues, it brought addiction back into the public spotlight. But parents who…

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  • iMP Tech Mini Arcade Pro Review: A Nintendo Switch Arcade Cabinet

    iMP Tech Mini Arcade Pro Review: A Nintendo Switch Arcade Cabinet

    There is what looks like another maddening design fail, with the Switch’s left shoulder buttons, L and ZL, positioned on the right of the Mini Arcade Pro’s eight-button layout, with the right-hand R and ZR buttons to their left. However, this…

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  • Are you ready for 2026? Check out these Northern Colorado New Year’s Eve parties and gatherings

    Are you ready for 2026? Check out these Northern Colorado New Year’s Eve parties and gatherings

    Several municipalities across the Front Range will ring in the New Year featuring their own brand of parties, good food, good brew and a rodeo.

    Fort Collins, Loveland and Boulder are just a few of the…

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  • US stocks eclipsed by rest of world in 2025 as investors diversify

    US stocks eclipsed by rest of world in 2025 as investors diversify

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    US stocks have been eclipsed by market gains in the rest of the world in 2025, as worries about high valuations, a Chinese artificial intelligence breakthrough and Donald Trump’s radical economic policies contributed to a rare year of underperformance for Wall Street.

    The S&P 500 is up 18 per cent this year, undershooting the 29 per cent gain for the MSCI All Country World ex-US index by the widest margin since the global financial crisis in 2009.

    Wall Street’s artificial intelligence boom has powered a rebound from the sell-off sparked by Trump’s “liberation day” tariff blitz in April.

    But the lingering effects of the president’s trade war — as well as anxieties over sky-high US tech valuations — have led many investors to question the dominant position in global portfolios long enjoyed by US stocks.

    “US equities are more expensive than lots of other equities, the growth trajectory is likely to be challenged, and everyone’s got lots of them,” said Matthew Beesley, chief executive of Jupiter Asset Management, describing his approach to equity investing in 2026 as “anything but America”.

    “That is a great time to think about anything [investors] haven’t got lots of,” he added.

    Indices in China, Japan, Germany and the UK have outperformed the S&P as relatively unloved markets made a comeback, while an MSCI gauge of emerging markets has climbed nearly 30 per cent, boosted by a weaker dollar.

    “There is a need to diversify risk,” said Niamh Brodie-Machura, chief investment officer for equities at Fidelity International. “Many of the investors I talk to are examining their geographical allocations in light of the big-picture events of the past year.”

    Asian stock markets have been among the strongest performers, buoyed in part by Chinese start-up DeepSeek, which raised the prospect of serious competition to US AI with its large language model breakthrough in January.

    The MSCI China is up more than 30 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng has climbed almost 28 per cent.

    US chipmaker Nvidia dropped 17 per cent on a single day following the release of a DeepSeek model whose performance rivalled those of US competitors but at a lower cost, prompting investors to question whether vast investment in AI infrastructure was necessary.

    Although Nvidia stormed back to become the world’s first $5tn company in October, nagging doubts about AI valuations have hit the US market, fuelling a sharp November sell-off.

    “The reason we lost that exuberance [about US stocks] was really in January . . . DeepSeek day,” said Helen Jewell, chief investment officer for fundamental equities at BlackRock. “You had that sudden realisation that ‘too overweight the US’ was not the way to build a portfolio.”

    Global investors have also warmed to Chinese equities this year. Mislav Matejka, head of global and European equity strategy at JPMorgan, said that the bank “fully flipped” to an overweight position on China this year following signs of economic resurgence.

    South Korea’s Kospi index has soared more than 75 per cent this year, with the index’s tech heavyweights Samsung and SK Hynix up 124 per cent and 268 per cent respectively.

    European stocks, too, enjoyed a boost prompted by hopes of economic growth emerging from Germany’s “whatever it takes” fiscal stimulus package, which most investors expect to kick off in earnest next year.

    Germany’s Dax has outperformed the S&P 500, while strong economic growth has driven Spain’s Ibex 35 up 48 per cent and the Greek Athex index up 44 per cent.

    “For years, the US was the only story in town,” said JPMorgan’s Matejka. Now, he said, investors should be positioning for this “broadening of performance internationally”.

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