We work to create advances in healthcare through pioneering research and global development, manufacturing and commercial capabilities, and upholding our commitment to ethical conduct and overall corporate responsibility. This commitment is grounded in our Code of Business Conduct, which applies to all employees, agents and consultants acting on behalf of Biogen and affiliates worldwide. Transparency in reporting also advances our commitment to accountability and stakeholder engagement. Reflecting our dedication to responsible business practices, this page includes an overview of key Biogen policies, principles, positions and disclosures.
Our Code of Business Conduct provides guidance on making the right ethical decisions while conducting business on behalf of Biogen. It helps establish the principles and practices of ethical business to which we expect all of our suppliers, business partners and employees to adhere. Our clinical research and other ethical standards for our employees and business partners are included in the Code of Business Conduct.
Biogen is committed to transparency and disclosure of corporate responsibility and ESG issues that are material to the business and of interest to our stakeholders. The current and past reports listed below provide updates on our corporate responsibility strategy and initiatives.
We comply with applicable regulations and work to minimize adverse health, safety, environmental and social impacts of our products, and we do this while working to maximize their benefits and value through their full life cycle. One example of our efforts in this area is that we are investing in serialization technology to make our products more difficult to counterfeit, with the goal of improving patient safety and health outcomes.
Patient safety is our highest priority, and we are committed to complete and timely evaluation of the benefits and risks of our therapies and communication of this information to help patients and healthcare professionals make informed treatment decisions. Biogen has an ethical and regulatory responsibility to continually assess and communicate the benefit/risk profile of our products to patients, healthcare professionals and regulators.
We respect the privacy of our stakeholders and work to safeguard the security of personal information we collect. Discover more about our privacy policies, privacy rights, our security measures and other areas of interest within our Privacy Center.
We recognize that access and the price of our medicines are of interest to a variety of stakeholders, including patients, providers, payers and policymakers. We work collaboratively to help ensure that patients are not denied access to life-changing therapies, and we are guided by the following principles:
- Value to Patients
- Present and Future Benefit to Society
- Fulfilling our Commitment to Innovation
- Evolution toward Value-based Care
- Affordability and Sustainability
We regularly review our pricing strategy and prioritize patient access to our therapies. Value-based contracts we have engaged in are designed to align the price of our therapies to the value our therapies deliver to patients, providers, and society, and to maximize the benefit of our therapies. Learn more about our pricing principles.
Our Responsible and Ethical Supply Chain Statement details our approach to a range of social and environmental issues across our value chain. Our Code of Business Conduct, Human Rights Position Statement and Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement establish the principles and practices of ethical business, which we expect all of our employees, suppliers and business partners to follow.
We believe that everyone deserves to be treated with fairness and dignity. We are committed to supporting internationally recognized human rights standards, as outlined in Biogen’s Human Rights Position Statement.
Biogen is committed to good corporate citizenship. This includes upholding human rights and ensuring that modern slavery (in all its forms) is not tolerated within our global business or our supply chain. Biogen has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery wherever we conduct business around the world.
This statement describes Biogen’s global commitment, approach and measures taken to combat modern slavery and human trafficking. In addition, this statement is intended to address any applicable disclosure requirements of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (United Kingdom), the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010 (California, U.S.), the Commonwealth Modern Slavery Act (Australia) and other similar laws and regulations, to the extent applicable to Biogen’s global business activities or any portion thereof, relating to our efforts to combat modern slavery and human trafficking.
Biogen welcomes all job applicants, and we strive to provide all employees with equal opportunity for advancement. We will not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment based on an individual’s sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, race, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other basis protected by local government agencies or law.
As an employer of choice, we strive to:
- Provide attractive employment opportunities for diverse candidates at all levels and in all segments of our organization.
- Pursue and maintain relationships with sources of diverse candidates, community organizations and academic institutions.
- Comply with both the letter and the spirit of all applicable laws and regulations relating to nondiscrimination and affirmative action in employment.
- Ensure that all individuals are compensated equitably for similar work and have an equal opportunity to contribute and advance in the workplace.
Biogen is committed to ensuring our employees receive equal pay for equal work. Biogen establishes components and ranges of compensation based on market and benchmark data. Within this context, we strive to pay all employees equitably within a reasonable range, taking into consideration factors such as role; market data; internal equity; job location; relevant experience; and individual, business unit and company performance. Biogen regularly reviews compensation practices and analyzes the equity of compensation decisions, for individual employees and our workforce as a whole. If we identify employees with pay gaps, we review and take appropriate action to ensure fidelity between our stated philosophy and actions. We institute measures such as communications and trainings to ensure fairness in hiring, performance management, and compensation decisions, and we provide resources to further develop managers and leaders to help them make merit-based decisions about pay.
We are committed to sharing information about our clinical research with patients and researchers. To learn more, visit our Trial Transparency site.
At Biogen, inclusion is one of our core values and extends to our suppliers. While supplier selections are always based on merit, we aim to include a broader range of suppliers in our sourcing process and supply base.
Suppliers interested in working with Biogen are encouraged to register via our Supplier Registration Form which allows easy identification for future opportunities. Please note that registering allows us to better understand your company’s capabilities but is not a guarantee of doing business with Biogen. If selected, Biogen requires that suppliers submit a self-certification form and complete our vendor risk management process.
Please fill out the form to be considered for future opportunities: Supplier Registration Form
We are committed to the safe and ethical use of biotechnology to improve the quality of human life, and we recognize that we must approach this continually advancing technology with a balance of vigilance, diligence and humility. Our approach to bioethics within our Code of Business Conduct is informed by the Biotechnology Industry Organization’s (BIO) guidance, including a respect for the potential significant benefits of biotechnology and a commitment to use it only for the benefit of humankind. We are sensitive to the perspectives of various stakeholders, and we welcome reasoned dialogue and appropriate industry safeguards for appropriate use of biotechnology.
Our highest priorities in the discovery, development and use of our products are human health, safety and sensitivity to potential environmental impacts. We comply with all applicable laws regarding biotechnology research and development. We support and implement strong ethical practices in our clinical research, including strict informed consent procedures, strong protection of the confidentiality of medical and genetic information, and strict protocols for clinical study execution. Our clinical research and other ethical standards for our employees and business partners are included in our Code of Business Conduct.
As many medical breakthroughs have come from the use of animal and human embryonic stem cells, leading to significant human health benefits, Biogen, at times, makes use of stem cells in our research. We are sensitive to the important social and ethical issues regarding stem cell research and adhere to all related laws and regulations, and our own internal research policies. Biogen incorporates the guidelines of the International Society for Stem Cell Research and the National Institutes of Health in this work. We expect contract organizations or research affiliates to adhere to these laws, regulations and guidelines as well.
At times, based on the requirements of our research, Biogen does make use of various well-established embryonic- or fetal-derived cell lines, which do not require any additional fetal tissue.
Biogen opposes the use of stem cells for human reproductive cloning, and we oppose the use of any form of biotechnology for the purposes of harming humans, crops or livestock.
We are committed to bringing novel therapies to market and focusing on hard-to-treat disease areas with significant unmet medical needs. As this challenge is often bigger than any individual company, we work with collaboration partners in both the public and private sectors to harness the latest advances in science and technology. To find out more about our scientific objectives and collaborative approach, visit our Medical Research page.
In fulfilling our mission to improve human health worldwide through the discovery of therapeutic compounds, and to ensure their efficacy and safety for human use, Biogen is at times required by standards of scientific best practice, or by government agencies charged with the protection of public health, to conduct or sponsor research that uses animals. When required to conduct or sponsor research that uses animals, Biogen adheres to applicable national and international laws, policies and guidelines on the responsible and humane treatment of animals used in research, including but not limited to the Animal Welfare Act, the U.S. Public Health Service Policy, the National Institutes of Health the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and Cambridge Laboratory Ordinance (1086, Ch. 6.12), and is accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC). For a list of applicable regulations, visit aaalac.org.
Biogen does use transgenic animals to optimize translatability of animal models to human diseases.
Our approach to sustainability involves sustainable operations, responsible product development and engaged suppliers. Find out more by visiting our Environment page.
Biogen appreciates the importance of biodiversity to our stakeholders and our business, as a broad range of natural resources and raw materials are often required for developing new therapies that can promote human health. We also understand that our consumption of natural resources may impact the ecosystems from which they are drawn.
As part of Biogen’s commitment to humans and the environment, we believe that it is critical to protect biodiversity at the genetic, species and ecosystem level. We support the goals of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, including the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of natural resources, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.
Biogen operates in accordance with local laws and is taking steps to reduce the environmental impact of our operations. As habitat loss is a particular threat to biodiversity, we are also undertaking efforts to minimize our potential impact on forests and watersheds, and to help address environmental challenges that put pressure on fragile ecosystems that are key to human and planetary health.
To conduct our business with the highest level of integrity, we have established and maintain a comprehensive compliance program in accordance with the laws of our industry and the “Program Guidance for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers” published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The Company’s Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws, together with our corporate governance principles, provide the framework for the corporate governance of Biogen.
Our Environmental, Health and Safety Policy Statement sets forth our commitment to provide and maintain a healthful and safe work environment and to minimize the impact of our business operations and products on the environment.
Our materiality assessment is conducted based on the principle of double materiality, focusing on issues that have a significant impact on both society or the environment, and our company’s value drivers. The strategy for Biogen’s materiality assessment process is informed by senior management, with findings presented to executives as well as the Board of Directors.
Developing sound public policy is a complex and collaborative process that requires coordination with public and private organizations.
When permitted by law, we contribute to political candidates and organizations that support our views on healthcare issues impacting the industry. View our Political Contributions Policy and our Political Contributions Reports.
We are committed to meeting all global transparency requirements, including the Physician Payments Sunshine Act in the United States and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) Disclosure Code in the European Union. As is our obligation, we record all transfers of value to certain healthcare professionals and organizations and report pursuant to the applicable local codes and laws. We take care to ensure that the data that we submit is as detailed, comprehensive and clear as possible. Ultimately, the data we submit today can benefit patients in the future.
In the United States, we report in accordance with the Physician Payments Sunshine Act passed in 2010. Our data regarding payments to healthcare professionals is publicly accessible via the Centers for Medicare and Medical Services Open Payments Program.
In the European Union, we are a member of EFPIA, and endorse the EFPIA Disclosure Code, a set of guiding principles that requires pharmaceutical companies to publicly disclose transfers of value made to European healthcare professionals and healthcare organizations.
Visit our transparency website to find transparency reporting per country.
Biogen’s Global Tax Policy outlines Biogen’s global approach to taxation. The overall goal of the tax policy is to support Biogen’s business by maintaining a sustainable tax rate while complying with tax law and regulations, and mitigating tax risks in the jurisdictions in which we operate. The global tax strategy and its underlying principles guide the decisions Biogen makes relating to corporate tax matters.
This U.K. tax strategy applies to all Biogen U.K. entities and its publication is regarded as satisfying the statutory obligation under paragraph 19(2), Schedule 19 of the U.K. Finance Act 2016, for all the Biogen U.K. entities. The overall goal of Biogen’s tax policy is to support its business by maintaining a sustainable tax rate while complying with tax law and regulations and mitigating tax risks in the jurisdictions in which we operate.
