Alkermes - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Alkermes is Medium Risk.

Alkermes plc is Medium Risk. The company often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. Alkermes occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Medium Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	Lower Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	High Risk
Funding	Medium Risk
Political Actions	High Risk

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Alkermes integrates ESG into its business practices. From its Sustainability in the Supply Chain Statement: “Embed ESG considerations in the culture and business processes of our organization, and extend our focus to key suppliers; Leverage supplier interactions as opportunities to collaborate on and advance shared ESG-related goals; and Integrate ESG principles into key business initiatives including procurement and third-party risk management processes” (1). However, the company has not canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (2).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Alkermes does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (1)(2).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Alkermes offers unconscious bias and diversity, equity and belonging training to its employees (1). The company prioritizes diversity in its supply chain. From its Sustainability Report: “we strive to increase the representation of diverse suppliers within our procurement portfolio, including increased representation among minority-, women-, veteran and service-disabled veteran- and LGBTQ+ owned businesses” (2). The company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (3).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Alkermes’ Chairman and CEO Richard Pops signed MassBio’s Open Letter 2.0, committing the company to implement DEI across various facets of corporate governance including its recruitment, hiring, supply chain, executive compensation, external partnerships, and company programming. Furthermore, signatories are expected to use their influence to promote DEI throughout the company, encourage employees to “self-educate on racism and to contribute to the race dialogue”, and ensure transparency and accuracy of reporting on instances of microaggressions in the workplace while holding leaders accountable for their responses (1)(2). The company supports DEI within its business practices, establishing a global Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Steering Committee (3). Alkermes supports ESG within its business practices. From its 2024 CSR Report “we strive to manage our business in a manner that promotes transparent governance and strong ethics; maintains extensive patient, employee and other stakeholder engagement; and helps us grow our organization strategically, sustainably and responsibly, including with respect to our ESG impacts” (4).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Alkermes is a Sponsor of Chilicothe Pride 2026 (1). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of the company using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (2).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

In 2023 and 2024, Alkermes lobbied for “A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress supporting the State of Israel.” (1)(2). Otherwise, the company has not used its PAC donations for ideological purposes (3)(4).