HERTFORDSHIRE, England & PITTSBURGH & Mylan N.V. (NASDAQ: MYL) and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) announced that the name of the new company to be formed by the planned combination of Mylan and Upjohn, a division of Pfizer, will be Viatris (pronounced 'viǝ-trīs).
Deriving its name from Latin, Viatris embodies the new company's goal of providing a path - "VIA" - to three - "TRIS" - core goals: expanding access to medicines, leading by innovating to meet patient needs, and being a trusted partner for the healthcare community worldwide.
"We wanted a name that would differentiate our new company and clearly explain how we will be a champion for global health," said Robert J. Coury, who will serve as Executive Chairman of the new company, as previously announced. "We are creating a company unlike any other - a company focused on building a more hopeful and sustainable healthcare journey, empowering patients to live healthier at every stage of life."
"The name Viatris communicates the strength of our companies' combined heritage and our shared goal to provide the highest-quality medicines to the most patients possible," said Michael Goettler, Group President, Upjohn, who will serve as Chief Executive Officer of Viatris, as previously announced. "We have an opportunity to deliver better health, better care and better value for patients and partners around the world."
Formed through a combination of two highly complementary businesses, Viatris will unite Upjohn's strong leadership position in China and emerging markets with Mylan's significant presence in the U.S. and Europe, allowing the new company to have a meaningfully expanded geographic reach for Viatris' broad product portfolio and future pipeline.
It is expected that in the coming months, shareholders of Mylan will vote on the proposed combination of Mylan and Upjohn. More information regarding Viatris, including the company's full executive management team, board of directors, stock symbol, and logo will be available at a later date.
Customers and patients will continue to be served by the Mylan and Upjohn brands for the near future. The new name will be effective upon closing of the combination, which is expected to occur in mid-2020. The two companies will continue to operate as independent, separate organizations until close.
About Mylan
Mylan is a global pharmaceutical company committed to setting new standards in healthcare. Working together around the world to provide 7 billion people access to high quality medicine, we innovate to satisfy unmet needs; make reliability and service excellence a habit; do what's right, not what's easy; and impact the future through passionate global leadership. We offer a growing portfolio of more than 7,500 marketed products around the world, including antiretroviral therapies on which approximately 40% of people being treated for HIV/AIDS globally depend. We market our products in more than 165 countries and territories. We are one of the world's largest producers of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Every member of our approximately 35,000-strong workforce is dedicated to creating better health for a better world, one person at a time. Learn more at Mylan.com.
About Upjohn
With over 130 years of experience in improving patient lives, Pfizer Upjohn seeks to leverage our portfolio, global experience and expertise to become the trusted partner of choice for all stakeholders committed to improving patient health. We focus on relieving the burden of non-communicable diseases with trusted, quality medicines for every patient, everywhere, with the goal of treating 225 million new patients by 2025. Upjohn brings together 20 of the industry’s most trusted brands - products such as Lipitor®, Norvasc®, Lyrica® and Viagra® — with world-class medical, manufacturing and commercial expertise in more than 120 countries. Upjohn’s network of approximately 11,500 colleagues works together to be fast, focused and flexible to ensure that patients around the world access the healthcare they need.
About Pfizer: Breakthroughs That Change Patients' Lives
At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of health care products. Our global portfolio includes medicines and vaccines as well as many of the world's best-known consumer health care products. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world's premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 150 years, we have worked to make a difference for all who rely on us.