Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany Establishes Digital Ethics Advisory Panel

Merck KGaA, Darsmtadt Germany, has created a Digital Ethics Advisory Panel, designed to provide guidance around evolving digital business models.

The Merck Digital Ethics Advisory Panel will address digital ethics questions for all three business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and provide external guidance and expertise on complex ethical matters around data usage, algorithms, and new digital innovations. Specifically, the panel will ensure that the company develops new digital technologies responsibly and addresses potential ethical issues arising from the use of these technologies. The panel will consist of academic and industry experts in the fields of digital ethics, legal and regulatory, big data technology, digital health, medicine and data governance from the US and Europe.

The panel’s first responsibility is to develop a Digital Code of Ethics (Code) that will serve as a governing framework and guide how the panel provides counsel. The Code will define essential digital ethics principles for Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany that will serve as guidance for the company.

“As a rapidly developing field, digital ethics is a new, complex territory for many,” said Sarah Becker, Founder & Managing Partner of Institute for Digital Transformation in Healthcare (idigiT), and a member of the panel. “As the landscape continues to evolve, we as an industry must be diligent about meeting rigorous ethical standards, and expert forums such as the Merck Digital Ethics Advisory Panel are key to that effort.”