Biogen Ranked #1 Biotechnology Company by Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for an Industry Record 5th Time; Recognition Reflects Longstanding ESG Leadership
- Biogen earns top scores on areas including access to medicine, talent attraction, innovation management and climate performance and reporting
- In 2013 Biogen became the 1st U.S. biotech company to appear on the DJSI World Index
- 2020 marks the 8th consecutive year that Biogen was listed among top performers
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (Nasdaq: BIIB) today announced that it has been ranked the number one biotechnology company on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World Index) for the fifth time, more than any other biotechnology company. The DJSI World Index recognizes the top 10 percent of companies in the S&P Global Broad Market Index for performance on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, which S&P Global considers key to generating long-term stakeholder value.
Of the 318 companies named to DJSI World Index, Biogen led the biotechnology industry with the top scores in areas such as strategies to improve access to medicine and cost burden, innovation management, talent attraction, climate performance and reporting. In 2013 Biogen was the first U.S.-based biotech company to appear on DJSI World Index, and 2020 marks the eighth consecutive year that Biogen was listed among top corporate performers.
“At Biogen, we believe that responsible corporate leadership is a defining part of our culture and our ongoing business success. We are proud to top the DJSI World Index for the fifth time, an achievement that reflects Biogen’s longstanding commitment to making advances in climate, health, equity and other urgent issues of our time while pioneering neuroscience,” said Michel Vounatsos, Chief Executive Officer of Biogen.
The DJSI World Index ranking results from Biogen’s outstanding performance on multiple dimensions of corporate responsibility, including an ongoing focus on health equity and access; ethical marketing practices; and human capital development with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. It also reflects Biogen’s emphasis on transparency and expanded public reporting on emerging risks, employee benefits and philanthropic contributions, among other issues.
“We congratulate Biogen for being included in the DJSI World Index. A DJSI distinction is a reflection of being a sustainability leader in your industry,” said Manjit Jus, Global Head of ESG Research and Data, S&P Global. “With a record number of companies participating in the 2020 Corporate Sustainability Assessment and more stringent rules for inclusion this year, this sets your company apart and rewards your continued commitment to people and planet.”
To bolster its ESG commitments, Biogen recently launched , a 20-year initiative to eliminate fossil fuels across its operations and collaborate with renowned institutions to advance human health. The program includes research into the potential link between dementia and air pollution.
Details on Biogen’s ESG commitments can be found in its , which is based on internationally recognized Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 Guidelines.
About Biogen
At Biogen, our mission is clear: we are pioneers in neuroscience. Biogen discovers, develops and delivers worldwide innovative therapies for people living with serious neurological and neurodegenerative diseases as well as related therapeutic adjacencies. One of the world’s first global biotechnology companies, Biogen was founded in 1978 by Charles Weissmann, Heinz Schaller, Kenneth Murray and Nobel Prize winners Walter Gilbert and Phillip Sharp. Today Biogen has the leading portfolio of medicines to treat multiple sclerosis, has introduced the first approved treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, commercializes biosimilars of advanced biologics and is focused on advancing research programs in multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, neuromuscular disorders, movement disorders, ophthalmology, immunology, neurocognitive disorders, acute neurology and pain.
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Biogen Safe Harbor
This news release contains forward-looking statements, including statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, about our strategy and plans; and our ability to achieve our ESG goals, commitments and targets. These statements may be identified by words such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “will,” “would” and other words and terms of similar meaning. You should not place undue reliance on these statements.
These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such statements, including without limitation the risks of unexpected hurdles, costs or delays; uncertainty of success in the execution of our strategy and plans; the direct and indirect impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on our business, results of operations and financial condition; and the risks and uncertainties that are described in the Risk Factors section of our most recent annual or quarterly report and in other reports we have filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The foregoing sets forth many, but not all, of the factors that could cause actual results to differ from our expectations in any forward-looking statement. Investors should consider this cautionary statement, as well as the risk factors identified in our most recent annual or quarterly report and in other reports we have filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. These statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations and speak only as of the date of this news release. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
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