Press Releases

2021

WuXi Biologics Forges a Culture of Sustainability, Integrity and Compliance

Awards

Oct. 22, 2021

WuXi Biologics Forges a Culture of Sustainability, Integrity and Compliance

At WuXi Biologics, our vision is to build an open-access platform with the most comprehensive capabilities and technologies in the global biologics industry, to fulfill the dream that “every drug can be made and every disease can be treated”. In order to achieve this vision, we are committed to accelerating and transforming the discovery, development and manufacture of biologics through our comprehensive open-access platform, enabling our global healthcare partners and benefiting patients worldwide.

WuXi Biologics views environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) as an integral part of our business development and corporate culture, and we are devoted to becoming a leader in this area. WuXi Biologics prides itself on the integrity of the company and its workforce, and is a staunch advocate for compliance as the cornerstone of corporate development.

Building a professional compliance system

The establishment of WuXi Biologics’ Compliance Committee is a testimony to the importance that our leadership places on compliance. The committee is led by Wuxi Biologics’ CEO Dr. Chris Chen, and our Finance, Legal, Internal Audit, Risk Control, Human Resources, Information Technology and Business Unit department heads. The committee seeks to clarify responsibilities and improve coordination among the company’s senior management, business units and compliance departments. It also shows the determination of the Board of Directors and the senior management to implement robust governance structure across the company.

WuXi Biologics is committed to establishing a professional, industry leading compliance system, and building a corporate culture that is founded on sustainability and integrity. Our senior management leads by example on these matters, having established the company’s “Code of Business Conduct,” which provides clear guidelines for product quality management, intellectual property and trade secret protection, anti-corruption and anti-bribery best practices, fair trade, employee rights, financial records, and global trade compliance. In implementing the “Code of Business Conduct,” WuXi Biologics has established a practical system embedded with enforceable rules and regulations, which includes hundreds of SOP management policies and regulations.

WuXi Biologics also offers employee trainings on intellectual property protection, anti-bribery, human rights, ethical standards, data compliance, supply chain probity, biological safety, and environmental protection. As of October 2021, the company has conducted more than 50 compliance trainings and examinations. All employees (including part-time) and contractors are required to participate in and obtain a certification from the company’s mandatory virtual compliance course. All Business Units are required to hold daily compliance meetings where rules and updates are communicated. WuXi Biologics has also launched a series of “Compliance Classroom” columns on the company official WeChat, aimed at enhancing employees’ awareness of compliance and promoting virtues of sustainable development through compliance. Through these efforts, we aim to incorporate compliance best practices into every aspect of an employee’s daily responsibilities.

Intellectual Property is our shared lifeline to customers

It is critical for WuXi Biologics to maintain the trust and confidence of our global partners as we support them and the patients they serve. Intellectual Property (IP) is the shared lifeline between WuXi Biologics and our customers, and we have established stringent policies and procedures for IP protection. Any violations will immediately be reported to relevant authorities. We require suppliers to complete an intellectual property declaration to ensure that the procurement behavior does not infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties.

We have carried out a number of trainings to improve employees’ awareness of intellectual property protection guidelines. The trainings incorporate real-life examples to emphasize the importance of intellectual property protections and the company’s guidelines related to: intellectual property development, application, protection, licensing and confidentiality, anti-infringement, anti-embezzlement, and anti-unfair practices.

We attach great importance to the protection of trade secrets. In order to prevent illegal intrusions, hacking and leaks, WuXi Biologics has strengthened its information technology security and safety operating systems, and formulated a “Trade Secret Compliance Management Policy,” which outlines mitigation efforts.

Zero Tolerance policy for corruption and bribery

WuXi Biologics has a “Zero Tolerance” policy for corruption and bribery. WuXi Biologics’ Internal Audit Department, which reports directly to the Audit Committee, oversees the company’s anti-corruption efforts and has created an Anti-Corruption Policy based on international laws and regulations, industry benchmarking and the company’s best practices. The policy specifies the requirements for accepting gifts, meals and entertainment, manages the company assets and oversees our annual audit and special audit requirements. WuXi Biologics has also established a Whistleblowing & Investigation Policy, which aims to establish a communication framework for fraud reporting, support and protect whistleblowers, and ensure that potential violations are investigated and addressed independently, objectively and fairly.

The Internal Audit Department supervises compliance during the execution of contracts and reports to the Audit Committee. We encourage employees, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders to report potential misconduct to the Department via email (IA_Biologics@wuxibiologics.com). In addition, CEO mailbox, legal mailbox (Legal@wuxibiologics.com), and compliance hotline have been separately set up. Upon receiving a report, the Audit Committee immediately arranges a meeting with the appropriate personnel. Those who report misconduct are protected from unreasonable dismissal, retaliation and unfounded disciplinary action. Those who threaten harm or retaliate against them are subject to disciplinary action.

In 2021, the Internal Audit department organized trainings and examinations for all WuXi Biologics employees around the world and all employees of holding joint ventures to enhance their awareness of the company’s anti-corruption and anti-bribery policies. The training was carried out both online and in-person, with the employee participation rate being nearly 100%, and the test passing rate of 100%.

At the same time, the company has also established a “Code of Business Conduct for Business Partners” and offers a series of online trainings to standardize and guide business partners’ behavior, to share anti-corruption best practices, protect employee rights, and to prevent the occurrence of violations of laws and regulations or corruptive incidents, and work together with partners to forge a stronger corporate governance structure.

As a leading company in the biopharmaceutical industry, WuXi Biologics is committed to set the industry benchmark in corporate compliance policies. We will continue to support the improvement of ethical standards both within our company and across the industry in order to empower our employees and partners as they seek to support patients worldwide.

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