AbbVie Inc.
ABBV.US | Manufacture of pharmaceuticals, medicinal chemical and botanical products
AbbVie Inc. is a global biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells pharmaceutical products. It focuses on developing treatments for chronic autoimmune diseases, virology, oncology, neuroscience, and other serious health conditions. AbbVie's key products include Humir...Show More
Better Health for All
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AbbVie's core business delivers significant health benefits, with products treating over 75 conditions for millions of patients
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and 9 new product/indication approvals in 2024.
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However, the company has incurred substantial penalties, including over $5.39 billion for off-label or unapproved promotion of medical products, indicating significant issues with risk transparency.
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Additionally, it faced over $1.6 billion in penalties for price-fixing or anti-competitive practices, negatively impacting price accessibility.
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The company demonstrates strong commitment to health innovation, investing $10.8 billion in adjusted R&D in 2024, representing 19.88% of its 2023 net revenue.
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It has extensive programs for vulnerable populations, including a $50 million five-year program for underserved Black communities in the U.S.,
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support for HIV initiatives in 6 African countries,
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and patient assistance programs providing free medicines to over 235,000 U.S. patients in 2024.
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AbbVie also has comprehensive health equity programs, including a Health Equity Accelerator
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and global medicine donations to 63 low- and middle-income countries.
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The company shows strong ethical conduct in clinical trials, adhering to the Declaration of Helsinki
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and Good Clinical Practice,
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requiring informed consent,
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registering trials,
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and publicly sharing all results.
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It has a Global Privacy Program aligned with GDPR for healthcare data responsibility.
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While it has 3 non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreements for critical medicines like HIV and Hepatitis C,
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its overall patent flexibility is limited by a lack of public commitment to not enforce patents in all countries and non-alignment with the Doha Declaration.
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The company also has historical environmental violations
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but shows recent significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and waste.
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It supports mental health through product development for schizophrenia
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and employee assistance programs,
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and invests in healthcare workforce development and education, including grants reaching over 210,000 patients and healthcare professionals in 2024.
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Fair Money & Economic Opportunity
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AbbVie Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company, and the ethical value 'Fair Money & Economic Opportunity' primarily assesses financial institutions. For several Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), the rubric's '0' tier explicitly states that it is 'not applicable' or that the company 'does not offer' the relevant financial products or services. As AbbVie does not engage in consumer lending, deposit services, or operate financial service access points, these KPIs are scored as 0. Other KPIs, such as 'inclusion_initiatives', 'wealth_building_outcome', 'profit_reinvestment', and 'financial_literacy_initiatives', are omitted because while AbbVie has philanthropic and educational programs, the articles do not provide the specific quantitative data (e.g., share of loan/insurance book, measured credit/savings outcomes, percentage of pre-tax profit reinvested, or explicit financial literacy program reach) required by the rubric's thresholds for these KPIs.
Fair Pay & Worker Respect
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AbbVie Inc. achieved a recordable incident rate of 0.13 per 200,000 hours worked
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and a lost time injury frequency rate of 0.04 per 200,000 hours worked in 2024
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, with zero work-related employee or contractor fatalities
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. The company reported a CEO-to-median employee pay ratio of 138:1 in 2024
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, based on a CEO compensation of $18,492,517
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and median employee pay of $134,351
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. Approximately 25% of its employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements or represented by an independent trade union
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. A 2023 employee survey indicated that 77% of employees feel well-equipped for their roles
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Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing
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AbbVie Canada reported no identified instances of forced or child labor in its supply chain for the year ending December 31, 2024.
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The company maintains a Global Ethics Helpline available 24/7 for reporting suspected violations
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and conducts proactive risk assessments to reduce sustainability risks.
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AbbVie has a Supplier Code of Conduct that defines expectations for all suppliers.
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As a member of the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative (PSCI), AbbVie had 12 of its third-party manufacturers audited by PSCI in 2024.
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In 2023, the company directed $1.03 billion of its procurement budget to small and diverse businesses,
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against a total supplier spend of $15.725 billion in 2024.
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Honest & Fair Business
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AbbVie incurred $7.325 million in ethics-related regulatory fines in the past three years (2023-2025).
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This includes a $4.625 million penalty in 2025 for price-fixing
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and a $2.7 million settlement in May 2023 for alleged unlawful kickbacks.
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The company has a comprehensive anti-corruption policy, with 99% of assigned employees globally completing anti-bribery and anti-corruption training,
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and an enterprise risk management program that focuses on risk assessment with board oversight.
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However, the recent kickback settlement indicates enforcement challenges. AbbVie's board of directors consists of 12 independent members out of 14, representing 85.7% of the board.
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The company also maintains a global Ethics Helpline, available 24/7 and usable anonymously, for reporting suspected violations.
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All reports are promptly reviewed and investigated,
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and AbbVie states it does not tolerate retaliation against good faith reporters;
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a whistleblower retaliation suit was dismissed by a federal appeals court.
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Kind to Animals
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AbbVie's Global Animal Welfare Policy states that animal testing only occurs when no viable alternatives can provide the necessary data to discover and develop safe and effective medicines and devices, aligning with the "3Rs" principles.
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The company implemented a policy in 2018 to not use or fund animal forced swim tests
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and confirmed it no longer uses animal-based batch testing for Botox, now employing animal-free, cell-based alternatives.
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AbbVie scientists integrate various non-animal technologies, including 3-D printed anatomic models, artificial tissues, microphysiological systems, digital biomarkers, computer modeling, and cell-based assays.
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The company engaged with PETA
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and Animal Justice,
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which led to these policy changes regarding the forced swim test
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and Botox batch testing.
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No War, No Weapons
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AbbVie Inc. does not engage in arms manufacturing, military contracts, or conflict facilitation, and has no dual-use products with military applications or exposure to controversial weapons.
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The company's due diligence measures for conflict minerals are designed to conform in all material respects with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance, aligning with UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
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Its Supplier Code of Conduct requires suppliers to ensure products do not contain 3TG sourced from Covered Countries that benefit armed groups.
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For the year ended December 31, 2024, AbbVie conducted annual war-risk audits and published detailed reports, but was unable to determine the country or mine of origin for the 3TG in its products.
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In the same period, two out of 46 identified suppliers were found to be sourcing from a non-certified smelter in a Covered Country that benefited armed conflict, leading AbbVie to request its removal from the supply chain.
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This indicates approximately 95.65% compliance with ethical red lines regarding conflict minerals sourcing.
Planet-Friendly Business
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AbbVie's science-based targets, validated by the SBTi in March 2023, commit to a 42% reduction in absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 2030 from a 2021 base year
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, though interim milestones are not explicitly published. In 2024, 14.7% of its total operational energy was sourced from renewables.
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The company's water withdrawal was 512.1 m³ per $1 million revenue in 2024.
AbbVie achieved a 93% waste diversion rate from landfill in 2022.
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By the end of 2024, 41.7% of its suppliers had set science-based greenhouse gas reduction targets.
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AbbVie has a TCFD Report
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and leverages climate models and scenario analyses to inform its business strategy.
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Respect for Cultures & Communities
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AbbVie has established over 265 formal partnerships with organizations since 2013
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, including specific engagements with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia
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, and collaborations with groups like CommunityHealth
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, Partners in Health
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, Habitat for Humanity
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, and six non-profit partners for underserved Black communities in the U.S.
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. The company has reported no cultural appropriation incidents in its documents
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. Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes are not applicable to AbbVie's operations
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Safe & Smart Tech
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AbbVie experienced a data breach in May 2024, affecting tens of thousands of consumers, where an unauthorized party accessed sensitive information including names, addresses, dates of birth, and medical information.
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The company filed a notice of this data breach with the Attorney General of Texas.
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This represents a single reported incident of unauthorized data use.
AbbVie operates a bug bounty program
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and commits to acknowledging vulnerability submissions within 5 business days.
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The company maintains a Global Privacy Program aligned with regulations like GDPR
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, follows the NIST Cybersecurity Framework
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, and undergoes third-party assessments every two years to measure its cybersecurity program's maturity.
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Zero Waste & Sustainable Products
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AbbVie diverted 93% of its waste from landfill, excluding leased offices.
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The company has implemented multiple waste reduction initiatives, achieving a 21.7% reduction in total hazardous and non-hazardous waste by 2024 against a 2015 baseline, exceeding its 2025 target.
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Specific initiatives include 12 green chemistry initiatives in 2022, which reduced chemical waste generation by 15%, and a new wastewater treatment system in Singapore that reduced hazardous aqueous waste by over 70% in 2024.
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AbbVie also launched a Spark Innovation Accelerator program, selecting eight projects for waste reduction.
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The company has set ambitious targets, aiming for 100% zero waste to landfill by 2035, a 50% combined recycling rate by 2025, and 30% recycled content in non-contact sensitive packaging by 2035.
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For hazardous waste management, AbbVie provides training, characterizes waste streams, and routinely audits third-party waste management providers.
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It conducted 27 internal audits in 2024.
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Furthermore, AbbVie integrates environmental, health, and safety language into contract templates for key suppliers, expecting environmentally responsible manufacturing processes.
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