IFPMA, with support and representation from industry leaders, joins stakeholders this week at the 11th Business Ethics for APEC SMEs Forum. This Forum – and the initiative on which it is based – supports the advancement of ethical business practices in the Asia-Pacific economies, with a focus on the health sector and wider health ecosystem. IFPMA and companies have engaged in the Initiative across its diverse priorities and activities, all of which are designed to drive a level playing field in key markets and a sustainable healthcare ecosystem.

APEC includes several of the world’s largest and / or fastest growing pharmaceutical production, consumption, and R&D markets, including United States, Japan, China, Canada, Korea, Mexico, and Australia. The Business Ethics for SMEs Initiative brings together the medical devices and pharmaceutical sectors to advance principles on ethics and integrity. This includes through the development of the Mexico City Principles, which stipulate sector-wide ethical guidance to meet the highest standards for patients, as well as consensus frameworks, research, and government engagement. This collective action has made a tangible impact on nearly 20,000 enterprises of every size across the APEC region.

As the leading industry partner for the biopharmaceutical sector, IFPMA and our members are proud to participate in the Business Ethics for APEC SMEs Initiative and share what it signifies for ethics and business integrity worldwide.

Director General of IFPMA, David Reddy said:

“I’m pleased to join this year’s Forum as Director General of IFPMA to reiterate our commitment to ethics and business integrity in the biopharmaceutical sector and to proactively build more trust in our industry. A high level of trust is a precondition to making progress on our biggest health challenges. This includes trust in science, but also trust in our business practices and in our shared goal: the health of people.”

Mwana Lugogo, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer at Takeda, said:

“Leading with a mindset and actions that are grounded in ethics and business integrity are foundational and non-negotiable for organizations in the health sector. And as we operate in increasingly complex environments, collaboration across all stakeholders in the ecosystem, including patients, civil society, governments, health care professionals and enterprises of all sizes, is required to set common standards and reach our goals of improving health outcomes.”

Klaus Moosmayer, Member of the Executive Committee and Chief Ethics, Risk, and Compliance Officer of Novartis, said:

“The Business Ethics for APEC SMEs Forum is a critical platform for code of ethics alignment and capacity building. By fostering collaboration with pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical stakeholders, we can build an ethical culture from the ground up.”

Robert A. Ladd, Senior Vice President and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer at Gilead Sciences, said:

“Ten years ago, IFPMA worked in partnership with the World Medical Association, International Alliance of Patients Organizations, International Council of Nurses, and the International Pharmaceutical Federation – and later the International Hospital Federation – to draft and agree the International Consensus Framework, a first-of-its-kind ethical agreement for the health sector. We’ve since seen governments across the Asia-Pacific region adopt this Framework at a national level, most recently with the United States Consensus Framework this spring. This government collaboration, facilitated through the Business Ethics for APEC SMEs Initiative, helps us reinforce ethics and business integrity in healthcare delivery.”

Dirk Brinckman, Chief Compliance Officer at Johnson & Johnson, said:

“We are confident that the biopharmaceutical industry is and must be an enduring partner in ethics and business integrity for the health sector. Collaboration with APEC governments, patient groups, healthcare workers, and civil society enables ethics code alignment – including the APEC Mexico City Principles – so that patients everywhere receive the quality care they deserve.”

Alonzo Weems, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, Eli Lilly, said:

“Through setting of best practice, capacity building, research, collective action, and monitoring and evaluation, the Business Ethics for SMEs Initiative has had a cascading impact on the health sector, supporting a sustainable pursuit of the highest standard practices. Eli Lilly is a proud participant of this Initiative.”

Nancy Grygiel, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Compliance & Business Ethics and Chief Compliance Officer at Amgen, said:

“By coming together with the medical devices industry and across a diverse set of health sector stakeholders at the Business Ethics for APEC SMEs Forum, we can drive a unified, broadly adopted approach to ethics and business integrity. The benefits of this Initiative cannot be overstated.”

Anisa Dhalla, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer at UCB, said:

“The innovative pharmaceutical sector is an integral stakeholder in delivering positive, co-created outcomes that foster integrity across the world’s health systems. This Forum is an opportunity for us to recognize what we have achieved together and chart the course for more progress. Now is the time for leading through ethics.”

Jennifer McGee, Senior Vice President & Global Chief Compliance Officer at Otsuka, said:

“The quality of our vaccines and medicines are only as good as the quality of stakeholder trust in the biopharmaceutical industry. At Otsuka, we believe wholeheartedly in the ambitions of the Business Ethics for APEC SMEs Initiative and in the role our industry has as leaders in ethics and business integrity.”

Rady Johnson, Chief Compliance, Quality, and Risk Officer and Executive Vice President at Pfizer, said:

“John F. Kennedy once said ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’. This underpins the spirit of the Business Ethics for APEC SMEs Initiative. Each year, we have an opportunity to come together and challenge ourselves to reach for even higher standards of ethics and business integrity. We do this to uplift economies across the Asia-Pacific region, but its impact no doubt reaches past this to patients worldwide.”

About IFPMA

The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) represents over 90 innovative pharmaceutical companies and associations around the world. Our industry’s almost three million employees discover, develop, and deliver medicines and vaccines that advance global health. Based in Geneva, IFPMA has official relations with the United Nations and contributes industry expertise to help the global health community improve the lives of people everywhere. For more information, visit ifpma.org.

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Media Contact

Elliot Dunster e.dunster@ifpma.org