Roche’s U.S. biotech subsidiary Genentech has wiped its website of past diversity reports as the company’s diversity and inclusion (D&I) page undergoes construction.
“The page that is under construction hosts our annual D&I Report which has yet to be released this year,” a Genentech spokesperson told Fierce Biotech via email on Feb. 13. “We will update this page upon the release of the report, and in the meantime, we have archived previous reports.”
“We are taking time to understand any potential implications of executive orders and other actions by the new administration, and we will continue to watch the legal and regulatory landscape to ensure we remain compliant with all laws,” the spokesperson added.
Genentech’s yearly diversity and inclusion reports highlight the work the company has done to support diversity within the organization, as well as across clinical trials and among broader communities. For example, in a 2022 report available via the California State Assembly, Genentech outlined goals to double Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx representation among its leadership by 2025.
Parent company Roche, a pharma based in Switzerland, still maintains that “diversity, equity and inclusion are woven into the fabric of our organization” on its website.
“This approach enhances our workplace culture, drives innovation and strengthens our impact on patients and society,” the Genentech parent company’s site reads.
Roche and Genentech have both previously prioritized several DEI initiatives, including the latter’s Site Alliance, a program designed to help enroll members of underrepresented groups in clinical trials. The Genentech webpage for Site Alliance remains intact, alongside a general diversity and inclusion page.
When President Donald Trump stepped into office this year, he launched his second term with a string of orders designed to eliminate DEI practices, according to a Jan. 24 release from the White House.
A few days later, the FDA’s guidance detailing diversity action plans for clinical was taken down from the agency’s website. The guidance has since been restored after a federal judge ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to reinstate health information web pages and public health datasets that were pulled down to comply with Trump's orders.