Alkermes CEO Reflects on Living Company Purpose
Originally published in Alkermes September 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report
Alkermes’ mission is to research, develop and commercialize important new medicines for patients suffering from complex medical conditions, including those who are often unfairly marginalized or stigmatized because of their illness. We also recognize that we are part of a global community facing serious and evolving challenges that threaten our society and our planet. In addition to our medicines and research efforts, we see ourselves having a responsibility and opportunity to contribute more broadly and serve as a positive example for others.
As we publish this sixth report outlining our commitment to, and progress in, advancing corporate responsibility and sustainability, it is with pride that we share and reflect on our ongoing efforts to live up to our company’s purpose and values.
We take seriously our responsibility of environmental stewardship. Our enterprise-wide Environmental, Health, Safety and Security (EHSS) risk management strategy is designed to mitigate or reduce risk, protect employee health and safety, ensure regulatory compliance, minimize our environmental impacts and enhance the sustainability of our operations. In 2022, we engaged a third-party to support our efforts to enhance our measurement and reporting of key metrics in these areas, as we continually seek to improve our environmental performance across our value-chain.
Woven throughout our work is our ongoing commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging. In 2022, we advanced our Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DIB) strategy and increased our DIB-related education, awareness and training programs for employees. We partnered with our employeeled Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to enhance these offerings to both increase participation and develop and retain diverse talent. In 2022, we saw more ERG engagement from our employees than ever before and a more diverse pool of job applicants.
By supporting and keeping our commitments to our employees, we are better able to deliver for the patients we serve. We are proud to have earned notable external recognitions in the past year, including being named a 2022 Healthiest Employer of Ohio and a 2022 Best Place for Working Parents among Massachusetts businesses – our two U.S. hubs. In addition, our culture, benefits, compliance with key policies and holistic wellness programs earned us a 2022 Platinum Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health, the highest recognition granted by Mental Health America.
Our commercial products are focused on the treatment of serious mental illnesses and addiction. Their impact is significant and growing. LYBALVI®, VIVITROL® and the ARISTADA® product family, collectively, were used to treat more than 180,000 people in the U.S. in 2022.
Our research and development efforts are focused on advancing new medicines to address real-world patient needs. Our support of non-profit organizations that share our mission, and of scientific investigators undertaking important, mentor-supported research to help advance the field of neuroscience exemplifies and amplifies our contributions.
We invite you to continue reading to learn more about our efforts, our performance and our commitment to environmental sustainability, good governance practices and giving back to our local communities.
We look forward to continuing this important work as we pursue great science that makes a real impact for patients, families and communities.
Richard F. Pops
Chief Executive Officer
