MASHINIi

Vericel Corporation.

VCEL.US | Manufacture of pharmaceuticals, medicinal chemical and botanical products

Vericel Corporation is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on advanced cell therapies for sports medicine and severe burn care. The company markets autologous cell therapy products, including MACI (autologous cultured chondrocytes on porcine collagen membrane) for the repair of cart...Show More

Ethical Profile

Mixed.

Vericel Corporation develops advanced cell therapies like MACI for cartilage repair and Epicel for severe burns, directly contributing to improved patient health outcomes. However, reports suggest potential tension regarding product pricing and accessibility. The company utilizes porcine collagen in its MACI product and conducts animal testing for preclinical stages; specific details on ethical sourcing or reduction strategies are not publicly available. Across numerous other ethical categories, including fair pay, honest business practices, and environmental impact, there is insufficient public data to provide a comprehensive assessment. Vericel handles sensitive patient data, necessitating robust protection measures.

Value Scores

Better Health for All0
-100100
Fair Money & Economic Opportunity0
-100100
Fair Pay & Worker Respect0
-100100
Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing30
-100100
Honest & Fair Business-20
-100100
Kind to Animals-60
-100100
No War, No Weapons0
-100100
Planet-Friendly Business-20
-100100
Respect for Cultures & Communities0
-100100
Safe & Smart Tech0
-100100
Zero Waste & Sustainable Products0
-100100

Better Health for All

0

No evidence available to assess Vericel Corporation on Better Health for All.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

0

Vericel Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on advanced cell therapies, not a financial institution.

1
Its core business does not involve lending, insuring, moving, or storing money for consumers.
2
Therefore, all KPIs related to fair money and economic opportunity, such as underserved client share, pricing fairness, exploitative fee exposure, financial inclusion initiatives, customer finance data accessibility, fair lending compliance, wealth building outcomes, community finance reinvestment, financial literacy, debt burden ratio, geographic inclusion for financial services, and financial product simplicity, are not applicable to its operations.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

0

No evidence available to assess Vericel Corporation on Fair Pay & Worker Respect.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

30

The company maintains complete electronic product genealogy tracing, which includes raw material inputs, indicating 100% traceability.

1
The company relies on third parties for manufacturing and supply of certain components and raw materials, including Matricel GmbH as the sole supplier for the MACI membrane and MediWound for NexoBrid, which sources bromelain from Taiwan.
2
While these are critical components, the articles do not classify these materials as high-risk (e.g., conflict minerals, uncertified palm oil) as defined by the rubric.

Honest & Fair Business

-20

Vericel Corporation has a formal whistleblower protection policy, including a 24/7 anonymous compliance hotline (844-811-7367).

1
The policy explicitly states that no retaliation will be taken against any employee for a good faith report and does not limit the ability to file charges or complaints with government agencies.
2
The company's financial statements do not reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements, and there are no error corrections that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation.
3
Vericel has a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, revised in October 2023, which applies to all officers, directors, employees, contract workers, and agents.
4
This code is based on core values, good business practices, and applicable law, and references compliance with the PhRMA Code for pharmaceutical businesses.
5
However, the articles do not provide details on the frequency or effectiveness metrics of anti-corruption training. The effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021, was audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as attested to in their report in the Form 10-K.
6
No specific percentage of revenue, assets, or subsidiaries covered by this audit is provided.

Kind to Animals

-60

Vericel Corporation conducts extensive nonclinical and preclinical studies in animal models, including long-term reproductive toxicity and carcinogenicity studies, to establish safety profiles for human use and for regulatory approval.

1
These animal studies are performed to analyze physical characteristics of products and finalize manufacturing processes.
2
The company's product, MACI, uses a porcine-derived collagen membrane and fetal bovine serum in its culture medium, meaning trace quantities of bovine-derived proteins may be present.
3
Patients with a known history of hypersensitivity to products of porcine or bovine origin are contraindicated for MACI.
4
Animal-derived reagents used in MACI production are tested for viruses, retroviruses, bacteria, fungi, yeast, and mycoplasma.
5

No War, No Weapons

0

No evidence available to assess Vericel Corporation on No War, No Weapons.

Planet-Friendly Business

-20

The company's new 125,000 sq ft facility in Burlington, Massachusetts, expected to be completed in 2024, is located within a campus designed and operated in accordance with existing LEED Gold and Fitwel Level 2 certifications.

1
This represents approximately 61.88% of its total operational space, which includes an additional 71,000 sq ft in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and 6,000 sq ft in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
2
The company states that its operations currently comply in all material respects with applicable environmental laws and regulations and that it complies with all regulations set by the EPA, indicating zero material environmental compliance violations.
3

Respect for Cultures & Communities

0

The company's ESG report does not mention any cultural appropriation incidents.

1
Given Vericel Corporation's business model as a biopharmaceutical company focused on cell therapies, cultural appropriation is not typically a directly applicable risk.

Safe & Smart Tech

0

No evidence available to assess Vericel Corporation on Safe & Smart Tech.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

0

No specific, concrete data points were found in the provided article to assess Vericel Corporation against any of the Zero Waste & Sustainable Products KPIs.

1
The article explicitly states it contains no quantitative data, regulatory actions, violations, fines, compliance issues, certifications, awards, recognitions, or comparisons to industry benchmarks.
2

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AI-generated analysis based on publicly available data. Not financial advice. Ratings are expressions of opinion derived from automated models and may contain inaccuracies. See our Risk Disclosure for full details.