What have been the highlights in the development path of Viatris over the past few years?

Eunice Cho, Viatris country manager in Vietnam

Viatris is a global healthcare company, headquartered in the United States, that empowers people worldwide to live healthier at every stage of life. We provide access to medicines and advanced sustainable operations, develop innovative solutions, and leverage our collective expertise to connect more people to more products and services.

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.

Our portfolio comprises more than 1,400 approved molecules across a wide range of therapeutic areas, spanning both non-communicable and infectious diseases, including globally recognised brands, complex generic and branded medicines, and a variety of over-the-counter consumer products.

With more than 38,000 colleagues globally, Viatris is headquartered in the US, with global centres in Pittsburgh, Shanghai and Hyderabad, India.

In Vietnam, Viatris has an extensive diversified portfolio of brands and generic medicines spanning many therapeutic areas to meet a wide range of health needs including cardiovascular disease, pain, mental health, men’s health, oncology, dermatology, and women’s health. We also make continued efforts to introduce new products to the market through technology transfer of off-patent originators.

Viatris operates offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi and a warehouse in the Mekong Delta province of Long An. Through our extensive global and local network in Vietnam, we aim to bridge the traditional divide between generics and brands, combining the best of both, to address healthcare needs more holistically globally.

Viatris is uniquely positioned to sustainably deliver high-quality medicines and health solutions to provide access at scale, which is core to our mission of empowering people worldwide to live healthier at every stage of life, regardless of geography or circumstance.

As published in our 2022 Sustainability Report, we helped supply medicines to approximately one billion patients globally last year alone.

In Vietnam, we partner with medical associations and hospitals to conduct education programmes to optimise treatment protocols and support healthcare professionals regarding prevention, diagnosis and treatment options for non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

We also collaborate with big pharmacy chains such as Long Chau FPT and Trung Son to conduct training programmes for thousands of pharmacists to support their consultancy capabilities on NCDs, increase patients’ access to high-quality prescription medicines, and reduce the healthcare burden on hospitals in Vietnam.

Corporate culture is essential to the development of a company. What is the key to the success of the company in this regard?

We perform at our best when we work together The Viatris Way for patients while upholding the highest standards of quality, ethics, compliance, integrity and sustainability. The model includes four pillars: “own it” meaning we hold ourselves accountable, act courageously, and embrace challenges; “be real” as in authentic, candid, and practical; “stay agile” to encourage diverse points of view and adapt quickly to pursue bold ideas; and “take pride” in being passionate, united by our mission and our work.

The above expectations are rooted in the behaviours we demonstrate today and are also essential to our success tomorrow. Individually, they empower growth. Collectively, they advance our mission, convey our purpose and embody our promise to each other. At every level, and in everything we do, they reflect our commitment to the highest standards of quality, ethics, compliance, integrity, and sustainability.

These expectations will guide us as we continue our work to achieve our goals, and they are what make us stronger together.

Cooperation deals are a key part of Viatris’ mission to improve the healthcare landscape in Vietnam

Innovative drug production is now a trend to expedite patient access to new and high-quality medicines. How can Viatris support the country’s efforts?

Our relentless pursuit is to improve access and support a sustainable healthcare system in Vietnam. This is evident by our commitment to providing high-quality medicines through a balance of global, regional, and local manufacturing, as well as our investment in building local expertise and capacity.

We hope that our Lotus project, one of the first innovative drug production technology transfer projects in Vietnam which started in 2017, will gain further support from the government, and relevant ministries. We believe that it aligns with the government’s vision; specifically, promoting technology transfer into Vietnam.

In December 2022, Viatris announced a broadening collaboration with Medochemie to further connect people to our quality products in Vietnam. Under this partnership, Viatris will transfer technology that will license Medochemie to manufacture Viatris’ identified NCD products in its Vietnamese facilities.

What is Viatris’ vision for the future in the local pharma market so as to build a strategy aligned with digital transformation and sustainable development?

Vietnam is experiencing these changes, driven by the government’s policies, industry players, and global trends.

Specifically, this transformation is enabling the Vietnamese pharmaceutical industry to become more efficient, effective, innovative, and sustainable.

We are doing our best to contribute to the efforts of the country for sustainable access to medicine. Access to medicine begins with sustainably delivering high-quality medicines and health solutions at scale to people, regardless of geography or circumstance.

With telehealth programmes, for example, Viatris supports doctors in rural hospitals with e-learning resources to help them stay up to date with medical information, diagnosis, and treatment guidelines to improve their skills and knowledge. These supporting activities are also aligned with the policy and direction of the Medical Examination and Treatment Administration under the Ministry of Health.

High-risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, and obesity are the leading causes of death in Vietnam.

Their management is a top priority to help to reduce the future burden of disease.

As a result, Viatris has supported the Vietnam Heart Association and the Vietnam Interventional Cardiology Association to develop the ScoreVN-OP app, a digital tool that helps doctors holistically analyse and evaluate cardiovascular risk factors, thereby offering appropriate treatment options for each patient.