Behind the Scenes

of the Biotech
industry.

CSR & Organizational Ethics.

Dr. Judith Schrempf-Stirling

Diana URSU
Ryo SHIMADA
Joan UBACH
Pharmaceutical industry in CH
135.000 employees
5,7% of GDP
30% swiss exports 84.8 B
2nd largest exporter of packed medicine WW.
Media 15-20% of manufacturing costs
How does it work?
Nice and clever
isn’t it?

Final
processing
Biotechnology is sold as a great way to create efficiently illness target
vaccines, drugs anti-dots, agriculture free meat for today health and
social problems

Biotechnology allows a great customization of the active principles and

final products

➔Key to develop and improve people’s life and more complex

challanges

BUT let’s look at some of the things that are “unsaid”

◆ FBS (Fetal Bovine Serum)
◆ CHO Chinese hamster ovaries
(FBS) Fetal Bovine Serum
2 million bovine foetuses are harvested annually to produce 800,000 litres of
FBS,
2014, the FDA reported that 80% of all submissions (INDs) FBS in their MSC
manufacturing processes,
Animal Component Free (ACF) formulations
 How does it really work?

2M cows & calbs

Final
processing
Let’s Look it through cows perspectives?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariellasimke/2020/02/24/could-fish-blood-replace-ethically-questionable-fetal-fluid/?sh=58380b0e2ec5
What is the industry doing about that?
 Users
Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical industries
Companies
Academic Institutes
Research Labs Danaher
Diagnostic Labs
Merk KGaA
IVF Centers
Alternative meat producers PAN-Biotech
Bio-Techne
Application Thermo Fisher Schientific Inc.
Biopharmaceuticals Altas Biologicals
Human and Animal Vaccine Sera Scandia
IVF and IVD Rocky Mountain Biologicals
Alternative meat products
Sartorius
…
Merck 10 k
report
“Negative events in the
animal health industry could
have a material adverse effect
on future results of operations
and financial condition”
CSR/Organizational Ethics
No company talks about the FBS ethical issue in CSR/Sustainability report.
There are some companies revealing additional information on their websites.

Alternatives:
Most biomanufacturing companies are now moving away from animal-derived media and feeds, and they’re
eliminating serum where possible. (FBS Product webpage)

Certificate:
‘’ISIA traceability certification was awarded to Gibco by Thermo Fisher Scientific. ‘’
This certification provides researchers with peace of mind and the confidence that Gibco sera are
manufactured under the highest traceability standards, offering quality and performance for your research.
(What Does Fetal Bovine Serum Do? webpage)

Animal Welfare:
Serum suppliers and users, in no way, need to “feel bad” about harvesting and using FBS.
There is no more of an ethical problem with “killing bovine fetuses” than with “killing adult animals”.
Actually, if the size of the “ethical problem” is defined as the level of pain suffered by animals when
slaughtered, it is much less a problem with the bovine fetuses. ( FBS AND ANIMAL WELFARE document)
Biotech serum free solutions
Is it a dilemma? Why?

At what cost and at what risk should companies keep FBS in

their research and productions?

How being aware of FBS in A product could drive your

consumer choices, forcing the industry to propose
alternatives?
Article:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariellasimke/2020/02/24/could-fish-blood-replace-ethically-
questionable-fetal-fluid/?sh=58380b0e2ec5

Other bibliography
• https://fr.vwr.com/store/product/12829725/foetal-bovine-serum-fbs-premium-grade
• https://serumproducts.eu/what-is-serum/
• https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/fetal-bovine-serum-market
• https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2022.859025/full
• https://www.thermofisher.com/ch/en/home/references/gibco-cell-culture-basics/cell-cult
ure-environment/culture-media/fbs-basics
Source: ESPA
Pharmaceutical industry in CH
135.000 employees
5,7% of GDP
30% swiss exports 84.8 B
2nd largest exporter of packed medicine WW.
Media 15-20% of manufacturing costs