Ipsen responsibility: Governance

Governance

Transforming healthcare with integrity and transparency

Firmly committed to our company ethical culture and social responsibility

Upholding ethical standards for patients and society

At Ipsen, we pride ourselves on our commitment to integrity, transparency and upholding the highest ethical standards. A fundamental pillar of our Generation Ipsen – For Positive Change initiative, we are fostering responsible management while cultivating a strong ethical culture that permeates every level of our organization. Our dedication to governance excellence ensures we always act with the best interests of patients, partners and society at heart.

Our approach to Governance is based on three core principles:

Our governance approach emphasizes integrity and responsibility, prioritizing what’s right over what’s easy. Through our dedication to collaboration and ethical management, we consistently fulfill our promise to enhance lives with innovative healthcare solutions.

François Garnier

EVP, General Counsel and Chief Business Ethics Officer

Strengthening Business Ethics at Ipsen

Discover our commitment to responsible business practices, as we work to cultivate an ethical culture anchored in anti-corruption measures and transparency.

ISO 37001 anti-corruption certification

We are committed to fighting corruption and continuously enhancing our anti-corruption infrastructure. Demonstrating our dedication in this regard, we renewed our ISO 37001 certification in July 2022.

Global whistleblowing policy

Implemented since 2018, our Global Whistleblowing Policy encourages employees to report potential non-compliant or unethical behaviors, fostering a speak-up culture and promoting transparency and accountability.

Employee ethical culture measurement

Our workforce demonstrates strong ethical foundation. One way in which we measure the strength of our ethical culture is through annual employee surveys. In 2021, 90% of global respondents reported considering compliance or ethical factors in their decision-making.

Reporting concerns

At Ipsen, we work to fairly address concerns that come to us. If you have an ethics issue, concern or grievance that you would like to report, you can raise your alert through the Whispli designated Alert Platform or use the email address Ipsen.Ethics.Hotline@ipsen.com

Ipsen’s Code of Conduct is a dynamic blueprint that emphasizes ethical decision-making, transparency and accountability across our diverse operations. This robust framework fuels an unwavering commitment to revolutionizing patient care, cultivating an empowering corporate culture, and exceeding industry standards and regulations.

Consult the full Code of Conduct

Combating corruption with ethics and transparency

At Ipsen, we proudly uphold ethical standards, integrity and transparency in all of our endeavors. Robust anti-corruption policies ensure strict adherence to all applicable national and international legislation, accurate financial recordkeeping, and stakeholder interactions based on integrity and merit.

Anti-corruption at Ipsen

Fight against corruption is a pledge through our Code of Conduct, as Ipsen rejects any form of corruption that distorts fair trade, hinders economic development, and imposes multiple costs on society at large.

Ipsen’s commitment to conducting business with high standards of ethics is reflected through the Anti-Corruption Program, for a positive societal change under the Generation Ipsen. A dedicated cross-function operational committee works on meaningful anti-corruption initiatives and regularly reports to the Executive Leadership Team.

Ipsen has been certified since 2021 to the ISO 37001- International Anti-Corruption Standard for anti-corruption management systems, for the benefit of Patients, Society and Employees.

Click for Certification

Ipsen tax strategy and governance statement

Ipsen is a dynamic and growing global specialty-driven biopharmaceutical group with a focus on transformative medicines in Oncology, Rare Disease and Neuroscience.

In line with our Company Social Responsibility, we recognize our role as a responsible taxpayer to pay our full share of taxes, including corporate income taxes, as part of our contribution to society. Thus, Ipsen pays its fair share of taxes in all countries where it operates.

The aim of this document is to provide transparency to ensure a proper understanding of the way Ipsen approaches tax policy matters:

Our Compliance

The tax affairs are managed in a manner that is consistent within Ipsen’s Code for Ethical conduct, to conduct business lawfully and ethically.

Ipsen is committed to observing all applicable laws, rules and regulations in meeting its tax compliance and reporting responsibilities in all jurisdictions where it operates, and to ensuring compliance with all relevant legal disclosure requirements.

Our tax governance and risk management

The fundamental objective of Ipsen’s tax governance is to guarantee strict compliance and transparency with the applicable tax regulations and ensure adequate supervision of the tax policy implemented by its subsidiaries in all the territories where it operates.

Ipsen applies diligent professional care and judgement, including ensuring that all decisions are taken at an appropriate level and are supported by consistent processes and guidelines and thorough documentation. The tax function is localized in France, UK and the US. The VP Group Tax department reports to the EVP CFO and our tax professionals are committed to the highest compliance standards in tax laws and regulations.

Our attitude to tax planning

Ipsen’s approach is to pay the correct and fair amount of tax to minimise the risk of uncertainty or disputes. Our tax positions are based on reasonable interpretation of applicable law and are aligned with the substance of the economic activity of our business locally.

We are committed to maintain and follow a transfer pricing policy that is based on OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines notably the arm’s length standard and the goals of the OECD/G20 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting project (“BEPS”).

Ipsen has a zero-tolerance approach to tax evasion and the facilitation of tax evasion. Ipsen does not undertake aggressive tax planning or artificial tax arrangements. Where available, legitimate tax incentives (for example, R&D tax credits) or exemptions are implemented in the spirit in which they are intended and aligned with our commercial business activities and reputation.

Our tax risks

Ipsen seeks to comply fully with the tax regulations and actively manages its affairs to minimise the risk of non-compliance by ensuring that tax returns and payments are made on time with proper disclosure made to the tax authorities. We strive for full compliance and are continuously improving our processes, which are based on standardization, simplification and automation.

Areas of uncertainty and complexity of current international tax law are managed by the Tax Department and, in addition, we regularly seek advice from independent external tax advisors to minimize our tax risk.

Our engagement with the tax authorities

We seek to operate an honest and transparent relationship with all the tax authorities.

We file timely and accurate tax returns, and we respond openly and promptly to any questions that may be raised in relation to our tax returns. Like any multinational company, our tax returns are continuously under audit around the world. In the event a tax authority disagrees with our views on the appropriate tax treatment of a given item, we will work constructively to try to resolve the issue in a timely manner through appropriate methods of dispute resolution.

Advancing ethical standards with governance actions

Business ethics

Ipsen continuously enhances its Business Ethics Program, backed by a robust infrastructure and governance system. By fostering a culture of ownership, accountability and mindful decision-making, we maintain a strong ethical foundation, as evidenced by positive employee survey results.

Opportunities and Risks Governance

Ipsen is committed to ensuring a robust Opportunities and Risks Governance policy, with several strategic and operational committees actively working to identify, assess and address risks and opportunities.

Working with third parties

Ipsen recognizes that its third parties play an important role in Ipsen’s success and commitments. Accordingly, we strive to conduct business with organizations who share Ipsen’s commitment to ethical culture and operate in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.

The Ipsen Business Partner Code of Conduct documents principles and expectations for establishing and maintaining a business relationship with our third parties.

Data privacy

At Ipsen, we care about protecting the personal data of all our stakeholders. We ensure that we only use personal data as necessary, that our use of that data is lawful and fair, that we keep data secure, and that we inform individuals about how we use their data. We manage privacy compliance at Ipsen through policies, procedures and training, and by fostering a strong culture of respect for privacy.

Working with HCPs and HCOs

We are committed to fostering transparency and trust in all of our collaborations with healthcare professionals (HCPs) and healthcare organizations (HCOs). By openly disclosing information on transfers of value, clinical trials, scientific publications and interest representation activities, we ensure integrity and promote a strong ethical foundation across our interactions.

Transparency rules and reports

Please follow the links to the countries to find the information about local Transparency rules and reports:

Austria

Belgium

... (Continued transparency data for other countries excluded due to length) ...

Support to patients and patient organizations

Ipsen actively collaborates with patient organizations to better understand and support patients’ needs. Emphasizing transparency, we publicly disclose financial and non-financial support provided to these organizations in adherence to the EFPIA Code.

Based on our dedication to transparency and under the EFPIA Patient Organizations Code, we make a list of patient organizations to which we provide financial support (grants, sponsorships, donations, etc.) or significant non-financial support publicly available for viewing.

Grants and donations

Motivated by our strategic commitment to society as a whole, we seek out opportunities to make an impact. In 2022, in response to the war in Ukraine, Ipsen donated €1.5 million to two organizations helping those impacted: disaster-relief organization Tulipe and the International Red Cross in France.

Clinical study transparency

Ipsen is committed to transparency in clinical studies, providing readily accessible information on clinical trials to patients, healthcare professionals and researchers. We publicly disclose protocol summaries and trial results, adhering to global industry standards, and share anonymized clinical study data with qualified researchers through the data-sharing platform, Vivli.

Protocol summaries of Ipsen sponsored clinical trials are made publicly available on the US Clinical Trials Registry ( ClinicalTrials.gov) and on the EU Clinical Trials Register ( www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu) at initiation of the clinical trial.

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What is "Early Access":

Ipsen defines "Early Access" as access to:

  1. Unapproved medicine for the requested indication in the country where the request comes from
  2. For life-threatening or serious medical conditions
  3. Where there is no satisfactory alternative therapy available for the given medical condition
  4. Where there is no alternative option for the patient to participate in an ongoing clinical trial in the given indication
  5. Where the medicine has reasonable medical evidence of the positive balance of benefits/risks in the given indication and the medicinal product has started the regulatory process of approval in the US and/or the EU

Early Access can only take place if it is allowed within the local laws, rules and regulations or specifically approved in writing by local authorities.

Request for Early Access to an Ipsen Product:

Who can request Early Access?

Only qualified Physicians can make requests for Early Access to an Ipsen Product once they have exhausted all other appropriate and available options to treat the medical condition of their patient, including enrollment in a clinical trial.