PITTSBURGH, May 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Viatris Inc. (NASDAQ: VTRS), a new kind of healthcare company formed in November 2020, today released its inaugural sustainability report, reinforcing its strong foundation in corporate social responsibility and commitment to doing its part to address some of the world's most pressing health needs by providing sustainable access to high-quality medicine, regardless of geography or circumstance. The report provides a comprehensive, enterprise-wide overview of Viatris' operations as they relate to environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters and outlines efforts from the past year across five key areas of impact: patient health, employee health, environmental health, global public health and community health. The report also includes a deeper look at Viatris' role in the fight against COVID-19.
Viatris CEO Michael Goettler said: "With only about half of the global population able to receive essential health services – a figure further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic – there is much to be done to ensure sustainable access to medicines worldwide.1 At Viatris, our global platform and broad portfolio uniquely position us to make a difference. Sustainability is fundamental to our mission and essential to the achievement of our overall business priorities. We believe that companies can be a force for good, which is why Viatris is a proud signatory to the UN Global Compact and its 10 principles."
Among the areas of focus addressed in the report, Viatris' actions included:
Fight Against COVID-19
- Supporting the health and safety of colleagues and their families around the world as a top priority.
- Participating in the World Health Organization's (WHO) SOLIDARITY trial, an unprecedented global effort to investigate potential remedies.
- Ramping up production of the antiviral medicine remdesivir and continuing to work with government authorities in India to further reduce the cost of the medicines and educate more than 20,000 healthcare professionals about product usage during second COVID wave in 2021.
Patient Health
- Establishing the Global Healthcare Gateway® which offers partners ready access to the Viatris operating platform, expanding patients' access to medicine and amplifying our organic R&D efforts.
- Meeting the broadest possible set of patient needs through our own R&D efforts while maintaining an unwavering commitment to quality and compliance. Among many other accomplishments, in 2020, we received WHO prequalification (PQ) approval for five new products for infectious disease: one for HIV, two for hepatitis C, and two for TB. Prequalification allows for U.N. and other multilateral donor procurement, and accelerated registration processes in low-and lower-middle-income countries.
Employee Health
- Sustaining dual focus on employee health and wellness, and talent development. Transitioned ~10,000 employees to remote work and adhered to protocols to keep those working onsite safe – while introducing new resources like on-demand and virtual instructor-led training where 68,000 courses were completed, and 1,000 leaders were trained on the company's new coaching model.
- Expanding company-wide efforts to strengthen diversity and inclusion, including creating the organization's first four Employee Resource Groups around Blacks, Women, LGBTQ+ and Working Parents.
Environmental Health
- Committing to executing scenario and risk analysis to establish a new company baseline for climate change, water and waste. Outcomes will inform future targets in each area, including science-based targets and strategies.
- Increasing the use of renewable energy by more than 400% in five years and achieving zero-waste to-landfill at two additional facilities in India, bringing our global total to 13 sites with this status.
Global Public Health
- Engaging with more than 100 trade associations in more than 40 countries on topics including generics, biosimilars, originator brands, OTC, medical technologies and devices, food supplements, consumer health and industry groups. Held executive roles in more than 25 industry associations, educating and influencing at global, regional and local levels.
- Pursuing policy advocacy priorities, engaging with partners, patient advocacy groups and industry associations to preserve access to quality medicines, build healthier markets, and strengthen a safe and resilient supply of treatments across borders.
Community Health
- Donating more than 500 million doses of medicine in a variety of therapeutic areas to those in need around the world affected by emergencies or poverty. Made product donations including needles and insulin pens and HIV self-tests.
- Collaborating with Sesame Workshop to create resources to support the social and emotional needs of families across generations and around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, the company cited areas of unique benefit to its future, including:
- Engaging employees as the primary drivers of the company's performance objectives.
- Embedding sustainability throughout the business – from strategy to operations – as opposed to treating it as a program or campaign.
View our full 2020 Sustainability Report: "Because Good Health Matters to Everyone, Everywhere."
Lara Ramsburg, Head of Corporate Affairs, added: "Our first sustainability report has allowed us to truly examine and strengthen efforts across the organization to make a positive impact and operate responsibly. Our commitment to sustainability is a fundamental driver of our performance. Because we know that good health matters to everyone, everywhere, we are dedicated to doing our part to make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients, our colleagues and in communities around the world."
The content and activities presented in the report demonstrate how Viatris is working to empower people worldwide to live healthier at every stage of life. The publication reinforces the company's ambition to lead as a new kind of healthcare company with a unique and differentiated business model, high-quality operational platform and clear focus on ensuring its sustainability priorities and financial commitments are met.
Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the company will continue to provide regular updates on its sustainability efforts via its website and social platforms. Our priorities remain protecting the health and safety of our workforce; producing critically needed medicines; deploying our resources and expertise through potential prevention and treatment efforts; and supporting the communities in which we operate.
Additional Resources:
1 Sustainable Development Goal 3
About Viatris
Viatris Inc. (NASDAQ: VTRS) is a new kind of healthcare company, empowering people worldwide to live healthier at every stage of life. We provide access to medicines, advance sustainable operations, develop innovative solutions and leverage our collective expertise to connect more people to more products and services through our one-of-a-kind Global Healthcare Gateway®. Formed in November 2020, Viatris brings together scientific, manufacturing and distribution expertise with proven regulatory, medical and commercial capabilities to deliver high-quality medicines to patients in more than 165 countries and territories. Viatris' portfolio comprises more than 1,400 approved molecules across a wide range of therapeutic areas, spanning both non-communicable and infectious diseases, including globally recognized brands, complex generic and branded medicines, a growing portfolio of biosimilars and a variety of over-the-counter consumer products. With a global workforce of approximately 45,000, Viatris is headquartered in the U.S., with global centers in Pittsburgh, Shanghai and Hyderabad, India. Learn more at viatris.com and investor.viatris.com, and connect with us on Twitter at @ViatrisInc, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." These statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward looking statements may include statements about Viatris' ESG initiatives. Because forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties, actual future results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: the potential impact of public health outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics, including the ongoing challenges and uncertainties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic; the integration of Mylan N.V. and Pfizer Inc.'s Upjohn business (the "Upjohn Business"), which combined to form Viatris (the "Combination") and the implementation of our global restructuring initiatives being more difficult, time consuming or costly than expected, or being unsuccessful; the ability to achieve expected benefits, synergies and operating efficiencies in connection with the Combination or its restructuring initiatives within the expected timeframe or at all; actions and decisions of healthcare and pharmaceutical regulators; changes in healthcare and pharmaceutical laws and regulations in the U.S. and abroad; any regulatory, legal or other impediments to Viatris' ability to bring new products to market, including but not limited to "at-risk" launches; Viatris' or its partners' ability to develop, manufacture and commercialize products; the scope, timing and outcome of any ongoing legal proceedings and the impact of any such proceedings; any significant breach of data security or data privacy or disruptions to our information technology systems; risks associated with international operations, including our operations in China; the ability to protect intellectual property and preserve intellectual property rights; changes in third-party relationships; the effect of any changes in Viatris' or its partners' customer and supplier relationships and customer purchasing patterns; the impacts of competition; changes in the economic and financial conditions of Viatris or its partners; uncertainties and matters beyond the control of management; and the other risks Viatris' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Viatris routinely uses its website as a means of disclosing material information to the public in a broad, non-exclusionary manner for purposes of the SEC's Regulation Fair Disclosure (Reg FD). Viatris undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release other than as required by law.
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SOURCE Viatris Inc.
Media, +1.724.514.1968, Communications@viatris.com; Jennifer Mauer, Head of Global Communications and Corporate Brand, Jennifer.Mauer@viatris.com; Investors, +1.724.514.1813, InvestorRelations@viatris.com; Bill Szablewski, Head of Capital Markets, William.Szablewski@viatris.com; Melissa Trombetta, Head of Investor Relations, Melissa.Trombetta@viatris.com
