COMPANIES

Johnson & Johnson is being investigated over whether it promoted unapproved uses for Retin-A, its acne treatment drug. “We have been advised an investigation is under way through the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey to determine whether there has been any illegal promotion of Retin-A,” a company spokesman said. The spokesman said a 1988 article in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. reported on the successful treatment of wrinkles with Retin-A. The spokesman said Ortho Pharmaceuticals, the Johnson & Johnson unit that makes the drug, provided the authors of the article with funds to present their findings at a press conference. “That press conference is the focal point of the concern,” the spokesman said. A drug manufacturer cannot promote a product’s usage that has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.