The story
On November 16, 2020, Upjohn merged with Mylan in a Reverse Morris Trust transaction and changed its name to Viatris. At that time, Michael Goettler became chief executive officer. Following the combination, the company began trading on the NASDAQ using the ticker symbol VTRS. In December 2020, the company announced a cost-reducing restructuring plan that would impact up to 20% of its global workforce, or 9,000 jobs at its facilities around the world.
In 2021, Viatris was ranked 5th by Fortune on its annual "Change the World" list for having "transformed the treatment of HIV around the world in the [previous] five years through the first low-cost antiretroviral drug for first-line treatment of HIV and a children's version in the form of fruit-flavored tablets that dissolve in liquid. In February 2022, Viatris announced an agreement where it will contribute to Biocon Biologics its biosimilars portfolio and related commercial and operational capabilities in exchange for up to $3.335 billion, including a stake of at least 12.9% in Biocon Biologics. The transaction was completed in November 2022. In November 2022, the business agreed to acquire Oyster Point Pharma and Famy Life Sciences for an aggregate of $700–750 million to create an ophthalmology division. The acquisitions closed in January 2023.
From 2021 to 2025, Viatris was recognized by Forbes as one of the world's best employers and in 2021 by Newsweek as one of America's most responsible companies. On April 1, 2023, Scott A. Smith became Viatris' CEO, succeeding Michael Goettler. Smith previously served on the company's board since 2022. In April 2023, Viatris was recognized by LinkedIn as one of the 25 best companies to work for in India, and one of the 25 best companies offering career development in Ireland.In May 2023 and 2024, USA Today included Viatris in its list of 450 US companies that have reduced their greenhouse gas emissions intensity from 2019 to 2021. In June 2023, Viatris was named to the Forbes Global 2000 list of the world's largest companies. In October 2023, Viatris reached agreements to divest from almost all of its OTC business, its women’s healthcare business, and its India-based active pharmaceutical ingredients business for a total of about $3.6 billion.
In late December 2024, Viatris disclosed that the U.S. FDA had issued a warning letter and an import alert concerning the company's drug-making facility in Indore, India. The import alert affects 11 actively distributed products, which will no longer be accepted into the U.S. until the warning letter is lifted, while four products were conditionally exempted due to shortages. The violations cited by the FDA included subpar quality control and improper management of manufacturing defect. In response, the company announced that it has taken corrective and preventative actions.
Predecessors
The following is an illustration of the company's major mergers and acquisitions and historical predecessors:
From Wikipedia’s article on Viatris, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.8