San José, Thursday, March 4, 2021. The global healthcare company Viatris, announced the start of operations in the country with an initial investment of $1,400,000. The company arrives in Costa Rica with commercial operations, such as the import and distribution of medicines in the region shortly after its creation in 2020, after the merger of the companies Mylan and Upjohn.
Since its creation, Viatris has become the sixth largest pharmaceutical company in the world with more than 45,000 employees and a presence in 165 countries. It is characterized by bringing together the best scientific, manufacturing and distribution expertise, with proven medical and commercial capabilities to provide quality medicines to patients when and where they need them.
The President of the Republic, Carlos Alvarado, highlighted the importance of the vote of confidence that represents the decision of this outstanding company in global health industry to establish itself in our country.
"Costa Rica has emerged as a leading global destination for investment by companies in the life sciences sector. We have become a benchmark as an exporter in this area and that motivates us to continue working to provide the ideal conditions for companies as important as Viatris, reap success hand in hand with Costa Rican human talent," added Alvarado.
"Costa Rica is home to more than 70 multinational technology and medical device companies whose main objective has been focused on improving and saving the lives of people around the world. Today we celebrate that the global healthcare company Viatris is joining this ecosystem, choosing our country to establish its operations. We are pleased to know that they have found in our Costa Ricans talent and capabilities to carry out their processes, which are characterized by being complex, sophisticated and of high added value. It also commits us to continue working hard to improve the country's competitiveness and to generate favorable conditions for foreign direct investment. We receive this news with great enthusiasm and wish them much success," said the Minister of Foreign Trade, Andrés Valenciano.
The brand has more than 1,400 approved molecules (drug types) across a wide range of therapeutic areas for both infectious and non-infectious diseases, and includes globally iconic brands, generic and branded medicines, a growing range of biosimilar medicines and a wide variety of OTC consumer products. In addition to more than 200 medicines on the WHO Essential Medicines List.
Jorge Sequeira Picado, General Director of CINDE, congratulated the company for its arrival in the country and mentioned "we are extremely proud that Viatris, only four months after its founding, has chosen Costa Rica to focus its commercial operations in the region. In addition, we are pleased that corporate services companies continue to trust more and more in our country, the data of this sector show a steady growth during the last years, even to the third quarter of 2020 the country exported US$171 million more than the same period of 2019, which represents an increase of 6% in exports in this sector".
For Esmeralda Rodriguez, the contribution of Viatris in Costa Rica, the health sector and the region sets precedents by providing an accessible and high quality pharmaceutical alternative for our patients. "Viatris was born with the idea of redefining health and how it is seen. With our three pillars: access, leadership and collaboration, we aim to provide access to medicines to optimize the quality of life of patients at every stage of their lives. Having access to an important variety of quality medicines such as originals, generics or biosimilars will be of great value for the institutions and the Costa Rican population," he added.
Regarding the choice of Costa Rica as headquarters in the region, Patrick Doyle, Viatris Leader for LATAM, highlighted in his statements: "We are standard bearers of public health; and Costa Rica, a country with a global and supportive health system, such as the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social, and with first level public health indexes, is the natural choice for a company like Viatris. As standard bearers of accessible health, collaboration and leadership, we found in your country a like-minded ally."
Regarding hiring of new colleagues, it is expected that, in a period of 6 months to a year, the number of personnel in the country will increase, mainly with profiles ranging from medical to corporate in areas such as sales, regulatory, safety, accounting, among others. Once the growth plans are finalized, the company will make public the method to apply for job opportunities. In the area of Social Responsibility, Viatris has several programs around the world, which are being evaluated to select those that best suit the region.
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 through the combination of Mylan and Pfizer's Upjohn business, 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.
The best articles and news directly from CINDE
