Johnson & Johnson CEO Bill Weldon retires in April

— -- William Weldon, the chief executive officer of Johnson & Johnson who presided over the company during a string of recalls of some of the company's best-known drugs, plans to retire in April, the New Brunswick, N.J.-based company announced Tuesday.

Weldon is expected to be succeeded by Alex Gorsky, the head of the company's medical device and diagnostics division, the company said.

There were more than two dozen recalls of nonprescription Tylenol, Motrin and Benadryl as well as other drugs beginning in 2009.

In a letter to the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press in November, Weldon acknowledged the slips, but said J&J remained just as committed to its mission as previous generations.

In the most recent quarter, J&J reported that its net income declined 89%, in part because of liability expenses, lawsuit settlements and product recalls.

Weldon, who started his career at J&J in 1971, in January told analysts that the company had turned the corner on a particularly difficult period.

Asked by a Wall Street analyst about succession planning, he said: "As far as my future, I'm doing my job; I've got a job to do. I really can't comment on that. There will be a point in time when I'll be ready to leave and the board will feel I'm ready to leave, and I'll let you all know."

Contributing: The Associated Press.

The Asbury Park (N.J.) Press is a Gannett media company.