Privacy Notice

This Privacy Notice describes how Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH (hereafter “Boehringer Ingelheim”, “we”, “our”, “us”) the personal data we process about you through this website. In any event, we will only process your personal data in accordance with applicable data protection and privacy laws (i.e. the General Data Protection Regulation - GDPR).

1. Use of Data and Legal Basis

1.1 Contact form or other requests

We process your data in order to provide you with the agreed or requested services on this website: 

• if you register and log in; 
• if you take part in training courses or events;
• if you send us inquiries about products or possible adverse event.

The legal basis is Article 6 (1) b) GDPR and Article 6 (1) c) GDPR if you send information about possible adverse events (see section 6 for specific information about adverse events).

1.2 Log data

When using the website, certain data, including data sent by the browser (e.g. IP address, kind of Cookies, previous website, time and date, displayed contents) is temporarily stored. We use this data to enable you to use our website and, if necessary, to review and assert our and third-party rights in the event of damage or violations of legal regulations, our terms of use and the rights of third-parties. The legal basis is Article 6 (1) b) GDPR. The log files will be stored for as long as necessary for the respective purpose, in principle no longer than 14days.

1.3 Cookies and similar Technologies

We use Cookies (small text files placed on your browser) and similar Technologies such as pixel tags, web beacons and clear GIFs (added to the web site), all together hereinafter referred to as “Cookies”. In the following section we will differentiate between different categories of Cookies. 

1.3.1 Essential Cookies

Essential Cookies are necessary for the website to function properly. Such Cookies make a website usable by providing basic functions such as page navigation and access to secure areas of the website or language settings. Due to their importance for the website's functioning, you cannot opt-out from this kind of Cookies. We base the related processing of personal data on Art. 6 (1) b GDPR, the contractual provision of our services. 

Essential Cookies we use to provide this website include Cookies, which

• detect whether a user uses Java Script, 
• allow a visitor to receive site content from one out of multiple servers as the user browses the site,
• determine whether a user has accepted which category in the Cookie banner,
• maintain the status of the user for all page requests.

The lifetime of essential Cookies we use extends from the respective session up to one year. 

1.3.2 Cookies for Website Optimization

Based on your consent (Art. 6 (1) a GDPR) we use Cookies to make our websites work more efficiently, as well as to recognize your device on subsequent visits to get information and statistics on your usage. You may withdraw your consent at any time without detriment and with future effect. To do so, please amend your settings here.

We use the following services of third-party providers: 

Adobe Analytics (Omniture) 

If and as long as you consent, we use Cookies from Adobe Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Adobe Systems Software Ireland Limited (“Adobe”). Adobe Analytics uses Cookies on behalf of Boehringer Ingelheim to analyse all traffic and usage patterns. The Cookies' lifetime extends from the respective session up to three years. The IP address collected by the Cookies is made anonymous before it is geolocated. In addition, it is replaced by a generic IP address. Adobe will not associate your IP address with other information held by Adobe. You can prevent Adobe from collecting and using information (Cookies and IP address) by using your options at http://www.adobe.com/privacy/opt-out.html or changing your settings here. As data can be transferred to the USA in exceptional cases, Adobe is self-certified itself to the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield. The analyses help us to improve our services. 
The Cookies related to this service allow us for example to 

• Create a unique ID for users and enabling us to track visitors across our different domains,
• Determine, if Cookies are enabled,
• Captures statistics about the user's visits to the website,
• Identify the time (in days) between two visits by the same visitor,Learn about the number of visits by a single user.

1.4 Further purposes for which we process your personal data

We process your personal data to:

• meet our legitimate interests, including to:

    (i)    complete a corporate transaction (e.g., corporate restructuring, sale or assignment of assets, merger); and
    (ii)   protect our rights or property, enforce our terms of use and legal notices, and for the establishment, exercise and defence of legal claims.

• meet our legal obligations, any court order or other binding decision;
• with your consent for other purposes, such as, the subscription to a newsletter; in this case you have the possibility to withdraw your consent at any time.

2. Data Transfer

We may share personal information with third-parties.

2.1 Reporting obligations to regulatory authorities and enforcement of rights 

We may share personal data in pharmacovigilance cases as specified in Section 6. 

In order to protect our rights or the rights of third-parties, we may also disclose data to rights holders, consultants and authorities in accordance with legal provisions.

2.2 Service provider 

We engage service providers to process your personal data for the purposes described in this data protection information. These service providers process the data only on our behalf, in accordance with our instructions and under our control in accordance with this data privacy declaration.

One of these service providers is: Adobe Systems Software Ireland Limited, 4-6 River-walk, Citywest Business Campus, Dublin 24, Ireland, providing data and web analytics services. 

2.3 Boehringer Ingelheim companies

As part of a global group of companies, we involve other Boehringer Ingelheim companies that support us in data processing. These group companies process the data exclusively for the purposes stated in this data protection declaration.

2.4 Data transfer to recipients outside the EU

Some of these service providers and Boehringer companies process personal data outside the EU. In these cases, we ensure an adequate level of data protection to comply with European law (usually through EU standard contractual clauses published by the European Commission).

3. Specific Privacy Notice for Pharmacovigilance

If you report adverse events or other pharmacovigilance relevant information to a Boehringer Ingelheim product we will use and share this data solely for pharmacovigilance purposes. (Pharmacovigilance is the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects or any other medicine-related problem.) 

All reports will be shared with Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH who is operating the global pharmacovigilance database. 

Boehringer Ingelheim is obliged to report pharmacovigilance relevant information to health authorities worldwide (including to countries that may have another level of data protection compared to the EU). Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) c), and for transfers outside EU Art. 6 (1) f) and Art. 49 (1) e) GDPR. 

The reports will contain details about the incident but only limited personal data:

– For Patients, the report will only contain, age, gender and initials as provided, but never the patient's name.  
– For the reporting individuals, the report will include the name, profession (e.g. physician, pharmacist), initials or address, e-mail and phone number as provided. The contact information is required to be able to follow-up with the reporter to gain high quality and complete information on adverse events. If the reporter does not wish to provide his contact details to Boehringer Ingelheim or authorities, “Privacy” is entered in reporter's names field.

Where your data is shared with other Boehringer Ingelheim companies, business partners or service providers outside of the EU, we will provide an adequate protection of personal data.

As reports about adverse events are important for public health reasons, reports are kept for minimum of 10 years after withdrawal of the product in the last country where the product is marketed.

4. Deletion

Boehringer Ingelheim processes your personal data for as long as necessary for the purpose of the processing, which mainly is the provision of our services requested by you. This means for example that we send you newsletters for as long as you did not withdraw your subscription or that we store your user account data (login, profession, name etc.) for as long as you maintain a user account with us. 

We will retain personal information for as long as necessary for the particular business purpose or purposes for which it was collected. If you revoke your consent, delete user accounts or object to data processing, we will delete the data collected in a timely manner. 

In some cases we are obliged to keep data to comply with statutory retention periods (e.g. in the context of pharmacovigilance). In such a case, we will ensure that your data will only be used to comply with the retention obligations and not for other purposes.

5. Your Rights

Subject to limitations in applicable law, you have a right of access, rectification, restriction, erasure, and portability of your personal data, as well as the right not to be subject to automated individual decision-making. 

You also have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

Right to object: 

To the extent we base the processing on our legitimate interests, you may opt-out from such processing at any time. In this case, we will not process such personal data any longer unless our interests prevail. You can object to the use of data for direct marketing purposes at any time. You may also object to the processing of your personal data for the transfer to authorities outside the EU described above in Section 6 for pharmacovigilance cases unless the interests of Boehringer Ingelheim prevail.

Please send your request or any question you have in relation to our processing of your personal data to:

Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH
– Data Protection Officer –
Binger Strasse 173
D-55216 Ingelheim am Rhein
Germany
E-mail: [email protected]

If you still have concerns, you may have a right to lodge a complaint to the supervisory authority for privacy in your country or responsible for BI:

Der Landesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit Rheinland-Pfalz, Hintere Bleiche 34, 55116 Mainz, [email protected]