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                                                                    EXHIBIT 99.1


Monday November 8, 9:29 pm Eastern Time

Company Press Release

SOURCE: Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson Announces the Acquisition of Innovasive Devices, Inc.

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ -news),
the worldwide manufacturer of health care products, and Innovasive Devices,
Inc., (Nasdaq: IDEA - news), a manufacturer of surgical devices and
instrumentation, today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger
agreement pursuant to which Johnson & Johnson will acquire Innovasive Devices.

Under the agreement, a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson will be
merged with and into Innovasive Devices of Marlborough, Massachusetts, in
accordance with Massachusetts law. Innovasive Devices will become a wholly owned
subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson and will operate as a part of the Ethicon
franchise, which manufactures and markets surgical devices.

The transaction will be accounted for under the purchase method and is valued at
approximately $85 million. Innovasive shareholders will receive $8.25 in Johnson
& Johnson stock for each share of Innovasive held.

Innovasive Devices manufactures and sells devices for sports medicine surgery,
an area addressing soft tissue injuries in the knee, shoulder and other small
joints.

"The addition of Innovasive Devices further broadens our offering of innovative
surgical solutions for our customers," said Clifford Holland, Ethicon
president.

"We reviewed several strategic options to sustain revenue growth and return on
assets and believe this merger best benefits our shareholders, employees,
surgeon customers and their patients," said Rick Randall, Innovasive Devices
president and chief executive officer.

The merger is subject to customary conditions, including approval by a majority
of the shareholders of Innovasive Devices and Hart-Scott-Rodino clearance. The
companies expect the transaction to be complete during the first quarter of
2000.

(This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on
current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that are subject to risks and
uncertainties which could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially
from these statements. Risks and uncertainties include general industry and
market conditions; general domestic and international economic conditions,
such as interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; technological
advances and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product
development, including obtaining regulatory approvals; domestic and foreign
healthcare reforms; trends toward managed care and healthcare cost containment,
and governmental laws and regulations affecting domestic and
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foreign operations. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties
and other factors can be found in a Cautionary Statement filed as an Exhibit to
the company's report on Form 10Q for the quarter ended July 4, 1999. Copies of
this Form 10Q are available on request from the company. The company disclaims
any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.)