New York, Feb 23, 2026, 14:17 ET — Regular session
- Johnson & Johnson shares rose about 1.3% in afternoon trade, bucking a broader market drop.
- The drugmaker said the EU cleared expanded subcutaneous dosing for its lung-cancer treatment Rybrevant.
- A fresh lawsuit from Bayer over prostate-cancer drug marketing adds a legal overhang.
Johnson & Johnson shares were up 1.3% at $245.62 on Monday afternoon after the company said the European Commission approved expanded dosing options for its lung-cancer treatment Rybrevant, helping the stock hold gains as U.S. stocks fell.
The move matters now because healthcare has been one of the few places investors have been willing to hide in a tariff-rattled market, and product news can still cut through the noise when investors are looking for steadier earnings drivers.
Wall Street’s main indexes were lower as renewed tariff uncertainty hit risk appetite, though healthcare stocks were among the pockets of gains, helped by a jump in Eli Lilly after a drug-trial update against Novo Nordisk. “Markets don’t like uncertainty,” Steve Sosnick, chief market analyst at Interactive Brokers, said. (Reuters)
Johnson & Johnson said the EU cleared an extension of Rybrevant’s marketing authorisation to include additional subcutaneous dosing regimens, meaning injections under the skin rather than an intravenous infusion through a vein, for certain patients with advanced EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer. The company said the subcutaneous form can cut administration time to minutes, and cited study results showing efficacy and safety consistent with the IV version; “better align treatment with individual patient needs,” said Silvia Novello, a medical oncology professor at the University of Turin. (Jnj)
The company also pointed investors to fresh long-term data for Tremfya in ulcerative colitis from its QUASAR long-term extension study, saying 80.8% of patients were in clinical remission at Week 140, with no new safety concerns observed. “Strengthen confidence in the long-term use,” study investigator Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet said, while Johnson & Johnson’s Esi Lamousé-Smith said the findings were “raising expectations” for patients. (Jnj)
Still, Monday’s tape came with a reminder that legal headlines can arrive fast. Bayer sued Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Biotech unit in Manhattan federal court, accusing the company of false advertising tied to claims about its prostate-cancer drug Erleada versus Bayer’s rival Nubeqa; Johnson & Johnson did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Reuters)
Investors also continue to watch the company’s long-running talc litigation, where it faces tens of thousands of lawsuits over claims tied to its former talc-based baby powder; Johnson & Johnson has denied the allegations and has said it plans to appeal adverse verdicts. (Reuters)
Beyond the headlines, the bigger question is whether Monday’s product updates translate into demand at a time when tariffs and policy swings are driving day-to-day flows, even in defensive names.
Next up, Johnson & Johnson shares go ex-dividend on Feb. 24, meaning buyers after that date do not receive the next quarterly payout; the company previously declared a $1.30-per-share dividend payable March 10. (Businesswire)
