Viatris Inc. history, profile and corporate video
Viatris Inc. is a global healthcare company headquartered in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, United States.
HISTORY
Viatris was formed in 2020 through the merger of Mylan and Upjohn, a division of Pfizer.
The name Viatris is rooted in Latin and comes from the vision of providing a path (“VIA”) to three (“TRIS”) main goals of the company: expanding access to medicines, leading by innovating to meet patient needs, and being a trusted partner for the healthcare community worldwide.
Mylan
Mylan was founded in 1961 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, United States, to ensure access to affordable medicine in difficult-to-reach communities. The company was named after one of the company’s co-founders, Milan “Mike” Puskar.
In the early years, the company bought finished dose medicines and resold them from the trunk of a Pontiac Bonneville to rural pharmacies and physicians throughout the Appalachian region of the U.S.
In 1966, Mylan received approval to manufacture the antibiotic penicillin G, marking the company’s entrance into generic pharmaceuticals.
In 1984, the company introduced an antihypertensive called Maxzide®, making Mylan the first generics manufacturer in the world to patent a new drug.
In 1995, after acquiring a number of companies, Mylan had one of the most dispensed lines of pharmaceuticals in America, brand or generic.
In 2002, Robert J. Coury became the chief executive officer (CEO) of the company. Coury scaled the company to reaching countries around the world by acquiring a majority stake in Matrix Laboratories and completing the acquisition of Merck KGaA’s generics business.
In 2015, Mylan purchased Abbott’s branded specialty.
In 2016, the company acquired the generics lines in the world’s developed markets, Renaissance and Meda.
In 2017, Mylan purchased Apicore.
Upjohn
Upjohn was born out of Pfizer’s Established Medicines division. It was created in 2018 as a standalone business within Pfizer, focusing on providing medicines for non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Upjohn’s portfolio included complex generics and biosimilars, as well as some of the world’s most recognized brands, including CELEBREX® (celecoxib capsules), DILANTIN® (extended phenytoin sodium capsules, USP), LIPITOR® (atorvastatin calcium), LYRICA® (pregabalin) and VIAGRA® (sildenafil citrate) – category-leading products across cardiovascular, pain, mental health and urology therapeutic areas.
PRODUCTS
Viatris’ global portfolio delivers global iconic and key brands, biosimilars, generics – including complex and branded generics – and over-the-counter products.
Viatris operates more than 40 manufacturing sites, which produce oral solid doses, injectables, complex dosage forms and active pharmaceutical ingredients.
THERAPEUTIC AREAS
Viatris medicines cover a wide variety of therapeutic areas spanning both non-communicable and infectious diseases. It also offers support services such as diagnostic clinics, educational seminars and digital tools.
- Cardiovascular
- Infectious disease
- Oncology
- Immunology
- CNS and anesthesia
- Women’s healthcare
- Diabetes and metabolism
- Gastroenterology
- Respiratory and allergy
- Dermatology
The company is also one of the leading companies in treating infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis and tuberculosis.
VIATRIS BRANDS
- Lipitor
- Norvasc
- Caduet
- Inspra
- Nitrostat
- Revatio
- Dilantin
- Lyrica
- Neurontin
- Relpax
- Sermino
- Celebrex
- Zoloft
- Effexor XR
- Xanax
- Geodon
- Viagra
- Detrol LA
- Cardura
- Xalatan
- Creon-12000u-5
- Creon-25000-Capsules-4
- Dymista
- Influvac
- Perforomist
- Yupelri
With a global workforce of over 38,000 employees and a presence in more than 165 countries and territories across North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region, Viatris has one of the largest global commercial infrastructures in the industry. According to Forbes, Viatris Inc. is considered one of the Largest Public Companies in the World.
*Information from Forbes.com, Wikipedia.org, and www.viatris.com/en.
**Video published on YouTube by “Viatris“.