Brand Protection Stories Podcast
EPISODE 10

February 7, 2022

Counterfeit Medical Devices

Wael Adhami and Roy Albiani, both with Johnson & Johnson’s Global Brand Protection team, take us through the startling discovery of a counterfeit implantable medical device – a widely used topical absorbable hemostat which controls bleeding during surgery. The genuine of this product, SURGICEL, is estimated to have been used in 150 million surgical procedures worldwide. Wael and Roy reveal the initial discovery, followed by the launching of global investigations, and coordinated pursuits of those responsible for the crime, which included involvement of a network of distributors and gray market sources. Wael and Roy then share how this case has changed how they each approach protection of the Johnson and Johnson family of brands.

Wael Adhami


Wael Adhami is GBP’s Senior Director for Global Brand Protection and is responsible for Medical Devices, Pharmaceutical and Consumer Healthcare in the LATAM, EMEA and APAC regions.  In this role, Wael provides strategic direction on brand protection matters for J&J’s worldwide regions and works closely with executive leadership teams across the business to protect patients, consumers and our brands from counterfeiting, diversion/parallel import and product tampering. Wael has an extensive security and international brand protection background and has been heading related functions in leading multinational corporations since 2011. Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson in December 2016, he spent over a decade in highly volatile environments throughout the Middle East & Africa where he conducted sensitive investigations targeting transnational criminal networks, including in places of detention related to the Global War on Terror. Wael has also served on the Boards of various regional brand protection organizations. As a multi-lingual, published author on international brand protection and security, Wael’s international leadership experience is critical in shaping the healthcare environment for J&J, particularly regarding patient safety aspects related to risks from illicit trade. 

Roy Albiani


Roy Albiani is Director, Global Brand Protection, for Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices where he leads global strategies to safeguard patients, consumers, health care professionals and brand goodwill against the risks posed by counterfeit, diversion and other illicit trade schemes across J&J’s $27B diverse surgery, orthopedic, interventional and vision platforms. Roy has an over 30-year career leading Global Brand Protection, Channel Compliance, and marketing organizations on behalf of companies with revenues ranging $2M to over $7B. He pioneered Global Brand Protection in 2003 at Johnson & Johnson which is now recognized as a best-in-class industry leader. Roy has also taught courses at universities, presented at several conferences and authored articles on brand protection. He is a graduate of Western Illinois University with a BA in Marketing and received his M.B.A. from the Cox School of Business at SMU.

LISTEN FEB. 7

Transcript