Better Health for All

Biogen's core business delivers exceptional health benefits through therapies for neurological and neurodegenerative diseases, including the 2024 launches of LEQEMBI, SKYCLARYS, ZURZUVAE, and QALSODY, and treatments for Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis.

The company demonstrates industry-leading risk transparency by complying with GRI, SASB, and TCFD standards, disclosing legal proceedings and risk factors, and detailing serious side effects for ADUHELM. Biogen provides substantial support for healthcare workforce capacity through medical interpreter training programs, community health worker initiatives, and STEM education programs. It maintains excellent data practices with a privacy and data protection program, compliance with regulations, and employee training. The company offers excellent mental health programs by supporting postpartum depression treatment (ZURZUVAE) and providing employee well-being programs. Furthermore, Biogen invests in comprehensive healthcare education through patient programs, partnerships with healthcare providers and community organizations, and Alzheimer's education in underserved communities. Its clinical trial ethics are comprehensive, adhering to ICH GCP and Helsinki Declaration principles, including IRB/EC oversight, and a commitment to increasing participation of underrepresented populations and clinical trial transparency.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Biogen reported a Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) of 0.29 cases per 200,000 working hours in 2024, indicating strong safety performance.

However, the company's CEO to median employee pay ratio was 132:1 in 2024. In the same year, 65% of participating employees reported feeling engaged at work. The share of employees covered by collective bargaining agreements was 9% in 2024. Voluntary employee turnover was 9.6% in 2024. Additionally, Biogen had one substantiated labor-law violation in 2024, a benefit plan administrator violation resulting in a $9.75 million penalty.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

Biogen's spend on high-risk materials was less than 0.1% of total spend in 2021.

For forced and child labor, no incidents were identified in 2024, and no significant human rights risks were reported among critical tier-1 suppliers in 2023. The company conducts regular supply chain assessments and due diligence processes to monitor for human rights violations. Biogen's supplier diversity spend was 6.6% of its total addressable U.S. spend in 2023. The company maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards modern slavery and human trafficking and expects suppliers to comply with applicable laws and regulations.

Honest & Fair Business

Biogen paid a $900 million settlement in September 2022 to resolve allegations of illegal kickbacks to physicians for promoting multiple sclerosis drugs between 2009 and 2014, violating the Anti-Kickback Statute.

Additionally, in December 2020, the company paid $22 million to settle claims of using foundations to cover Medicare patients' copays for its drugs. These settlements, totaling $922 million within the past three years, indicate a significant failure in the enforcement of its anti-corruption policy, despite the existence of a Global Anti-bribery and Anti-corruption Policy and annual training. Furthermore, while Biogen has a formal whistleblower protection policy with a no-retaliation stance and reporting mechanisms, its compliance department did not act on the initial concerns raised by a whistleblower, which ultimately led to the major lawsuit and settlement.

Kind to Animals

Biogen is accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International, reflecting its commitment to high standards of animal care in its research operations.

The company's animal testing policy states that animal testing is employed in the development and testing of pharmaceutical products when required by scientific best practice or government agencies. Biogen adheres to applicable national and international laws, policies, and guidelines on the humane treatment of animals used in research, including the Animal Welfare Act and the U.S. Public Health Service Policy. The company also uses transgenic animals in its research.

No War, No Weapons

Biogen, a biotechnology company, has no reported revenue from arms or defense contracts, no dual-use technology development, and no sales to embargoed regimes, aligning with its core business of developing therapies. Its human rights position is guided by and aligned with the U.N. Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights.

The company explicitly prohibits prison labor, human trafficking, and forced, compulsory, bonded, or child labor in its value chain, maintaining a zero-tolerance approach and collaborating with the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative. Biogen conducts an annual Human Rights Country-Level Risk Screen covering 99.9% of its supplier spend, reporting results in its annual Year in Review. In 2022, 0.75% of Biogen's procurement spend was from countries identified as Tier 2 Watch List or Tier 3 in the U.S. State Department's Trafficking in Persons Report, which are considered high-risk areas.

Planet-Friendly Business

Biogen reported total Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions of 324,178 tCO₂e in 2024.

The company has SBTi-validated targets, including a 55% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2032, and net-zero targets for Scope 1 and 2 by 2040 and for the value chain by 2045, with interim milestones. In 2024, 31% of its total operational energy came from renewable sources, while 100% of its electricity has been renewable since 2014. Water use intensity was 118 m³ per $1 million revenue in 2024, and the waste diversion rate from landfills was 98% in the same year. All Biogen labs achieved My Green Lab certification in 2023, with 54% reaching the highest green designation. In 2024, 37% of its suppliers had SBTi-aligned targets. The company reported zero environmental compliance violations in 2023. Biogen's fourth TCFD disclosure statement was issued in 2023, and it conducts climate scenario analysis using multiple pathways, including RCP 4.5, 8.5, IEA INDC (~3°C), and IEA WEO 450 (~2°C). Biodiversity efforts include beehives at five sites and a community water quality monitoring program.

Safe & Smart Tech

Biogen maintains a technology and cybersecurity program that adheres to frameworks such as the U.S. NIST Cybersecurity Framework and the U.S. Cybersecurity Agency’s National Cyber Incident Scoring System.

This program includes a third-party and vendor risk management component, conducting security assessments prior to engaging high-risk vendors. An annual cybersecurity awareness training and role-based phishing tests are conducted for employees and third parties with system access, with the program described as well-structured, focusing on behavior change and learning opportunities. , A cybersecurity operations center is staffed to respond to threats and incidents, with a crisis response and management plan in place, and the Audit Committee regularly reviews its effectiveness. The company states it maintains compliance with applicable data privacy and security laws and regulations, including HIPAA and the European Union GDPR. It implements security practices such as using encryption for highly sensitive information and requiring strong and unique passwords. Users are afforded rights to access, rectify, and delete their data, and can manage marketing emails and cookies. , The company states it retains data only as necessary for stated purposes and avoids unnecessary data collection. , Biogen also mentions using AI ethically and for validated research, promoting equity.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Biogen achieved a 98% waste-to-landfill diversion rate.

The company has implemented numerous waste reduction initiatives, including the reuse of propylene glycol, replacement of single-use mops with reusable alternatives, a 12-category waste collection system, switching from single-use plastics to reusable glassware, recycling Styrofoam and soft plastics, and reusing biotainers for buffer solutions. , These efforts contributed to 100% of Biogen's laboratories achieving My Green Lab Certification, with 54% reaching the highest "Green" level. Hazardous waste was reduced by 11% in 2023 compared to 2022. Expired raw materials are diverted to biogas plants. The company reported no waste disposal violations or citations. However, Biogen's waste reduction targets are primarily focused on material elimination, such as aiming to eliminate PVC from new product packaging and fossil fuel-derived plastics, rather than comprehensive, quantitative waste reduction targets with specific timelines.