Schering Plough unveils new social responsibility guidelines

Schering-Plough has announced that it intends to begin identifying pressing and immediate social concerns so that the company can respond to them with the maximum efficiency, as part of a new drive to increase its social responsibility credentials.

It has addressed a number of “priorities” to be identified, including human rights, occupational health, safety and security, diversity in both the boardroom and the wider workforce, ethical practices across all aspects of the company, better access to medicines for the poor and patient safety.

Fred Hassan, chairman and chief executive officer, said: “By the nature of our business, social issues are integral to the pharmaceutical industry. Our industry has a special responsibility because drugs are essential to prolonging and improving the quality of life.”

“Our new plan will enable us to identify pressing social issues, respond appropriately and maximise the impact of the resources we can bring to bear,” he added.

Many large pharmaceutical companies have developed methods to increase their social responsibility credentials, as well as Schering-Plough. AstraZeneca, for instance, have a code of conduct and a written bioethics policy.

GlaxoSmithKline issues a corporate responsibility report annually to detail improvements to be made in its social responsibility commitments, while Pfizer engages in a “corporate citizenship” policy to guide the way it conducts its business.

© Adfero Ltd