Meeting the needs of patients around the world

Evolving to better serve patients globally

In November 2020, Viatris was formed through the combination of Mylan and Upjohn, with a mission of empowering people worldwide to live healthier at every stage of life. Because of our unwavering belief that better access leads to better health, we leverage our best-in-class manufacturing and scientific expertise and proven commercial capabilities to bring quality medicines to patients when and where they need them.

1961
Founded in 1961 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, Mylan—initially known as “Milan,” named after one of the company’s co-founders, Milan “Mike” Puskar—started with a mission to increase access to high-quality medicine and improve patient health in difficult-to-reach communities. In the early days, the founders bought finished dose medicines and resold them from the trunk of a Pontiac Bonneville to rural pharmacies and physicians throughout the Appalachian region of the U.S. Later, manufacturing operations began in Morgantown, West Virginia.

1972
As Mylan’s vision grew, so did the company. In 1972, Milan changed its name to Mylan Laboratories and achieved steady growth through a focus on enhancing operations and developing new medicines, expanding its commitment to patients in countries large and small, and across multiple product lines and capabilities.

2015
Mylan was well known for its strategic efforts to increase scale in all areas, including the purchase of Abbott’s branded specialty and generics lines, Renaissance, Meda and Apicore—all finalized between 2015-2017, expanding its portfolio and capabilities in manufacturing, R&D and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API).

2018
Born out of Pfizer’s Established Medicines division, Upjohn was created as a standalone business in 2018 within Pfizer with a mission to relieve the burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) with trusted, quality medicines for every patient, everywhere. With a rapidly expanding global middle class across emerging markets, particularly in Asia, and an enhanced focus on quality and affordable healthcare by policymakers worldwide, there had never been a more pressing time to focus on addressing the rising public health impact of NCDs.

2020
Viatris was formed through the combination of Mylan and Upjohn in November 2020, as a global healthcare company uniquely positioned to bridge the traditional divide between generics and brands, combining the best of both to more holistically address healthcare needs globally.