Position on Key Issues
In our focus to help patients with serious diseases, we have developed clear positions on important policies and topics related to healthcare, regulatory, intellectual property and pricing. Learn more about our positions below.
ESG Governance and Operating Model (PDF)
Sound Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) management practices and oversight are considered to be a strategic component of businesses that are successful over the long term, helping enhance shareholder value as well as delivering benefits to all of our stakeholders. Read more about our ESG governance and operating model.
Access to Medicines in the Developing World
We continue the quest to increase access to medicines for those in need through research and development, our partnership with patients, advocacy groups, health care providers, industry, governments and NGOs, and our focus on healthcare infrastructure, product quality and safety.
Bioethics Policy Statement (PDF)
We are committed to conducting activities related to non-clinical and clinical research and development of our pharmaceutical products in accordance with the highest legal, ethical and scientific standards.
Biosimilars
We support the establishment of a regulatory pathway for the approval of biosimilars that is driven by the best available science, considers efficacy and patient safety and preserves incentives for future biologic innovation.
Clinical Trial Communication Commitment
We believe that making clinical trial information available to patients, investigators, researchers and physicians is a critical part of our commitment to transparency, scientific exchange and, ultimately, innovation.
Strengthening Health Systems Position
BMS believes we need strong and resilient healthcare systems globally. We strive to contribute in meaningful ways to enable holistic solutions that address systemic challenges and root causes hindering access.
Climate Change Position
BMS believes that the health of people is inextricably linked to the health of the planet, and we remain committed to improving environmental health in all the places we live, work and sell our products today.
Counterfeit Drugs
Counterfeit drugs and product tampering, theft or diversion represent a threat to providing our customers with the safest, most effective and highest quality products. While there is no single solution to this issue, we have efforts in place to help ensure the integrity of our products within the supply chain and further patient safety.
Early Patient Access to Investigational Medicines
We welcome requests for early patient access from physicians treating patients who face a serious or life-threatening illness and have no further treatment options or a clinical trial available to them. Our goal is to ensure that appropriate patients can obtain access to our investigational medicines.
Generics
A generic drug is one that contains the same active ingredient as a previously approved innovative medicine, meets certain quality manufacturing requirements and contains labeling that is identical (or highly similar) to that of the innovative drug. We believe that generic drugs have an important place in health care systems around the world. They can increase the availability of affordable medicines, improve patient adherence, help contain health care costs and provide a channel to expand patient access to important medicines.
Interactions with Health Care Providers - Sunshine Act (US)
As a proponent of transparency, we support the U.S. Physician Payments Sunshine Act as an extension of our own efforts to increase public awareness of the positive role that physician-industry collaboration plays in helping patients prevail over serious diseases.
Pricing
We are committed to providing access to our prescription medicines at fair prices to further our mission to help patients prevail over serious diseases.
How We Price Our Medicines
We are committed to providing access to our prescription medicines at fair prices to further our mission to help patients prevail over serious diseases. We take great care to price our medicines based on the value they deliver, the scientific innovation they represent, economic factors that impact health care systems’ capacity to provide appropriate, rapid and sustainable access to patients, and the investment necessary to develop them.
PhRMA's Code on Interactions with Health Care Professionals
We are committed to following the highest ethical standards and all legal requirements in our promotion of drugs to health care professionals. Our drug promotion is guided by our company’s mission and commitment and guidelines such as the Code on Interactions with Health Care Professionals developed by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
PhRMA's Guiding Principles on Direct-to-Consumer Advertisements
We have a long-standing commitment to responsible and effective consumer communications. We believe responsible direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising can foster informed conversations between patients and their health care professionals. We have adopted DTC advertising guidelines developed by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
Policy and Advocacy Engagement and Political Contributions
In our effort to pursue our mission, we provide information, analysis and opinion to legislators and government leaders to allow for informed and balanced decision-making in regard to various public policies. We also participate in the political process by contributing prudently to state and local candidates and political organizations when such contributions are permitted by federal, state and local laws.
Sustaining Our Intellectual Property
Intellectual property law provides incentives for innovative pharmaceutical research, and this research benefits patients by establishing the basis for approval of important new medicines. The company secures rights to its employees' inventions and licenses the inventions of others. The company also owns the data that we generate about our medicines. We obtain intellectual property only by lawful and ethical means, and enforce only those intellectual property rights that we believe to be valid.
U.S. Health Care Reform
We support market-based policy approaches to reduce significantly the number of uninsured, with the goal of achieving universal, continuous, and affordable health care coverage. The approaches we support build on the current public-private mix of health insurance coverage, while preserving incentives for innovation.
Support for European Patient Organizations
As part of our mission to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases, Bristol Myers Squibb and the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation support patient organizations across Europe through partnerships, grants and charitable contributions.