Ali Yehia, Country Manager for Viatris KSA, speaks about the company’s global operations and its plans for KSA, notably to play an active role in the fight against non-communicable diseases. He tackles the evolving healthcare landscape and the opportunity for the country to expand its regional role.
Viatris was formed globally in November 2020. Can you tell us more about the company?
Viatris is the new global healthcare company that was launched in November 2020.
Viatris was formed with an overarching purpose – to create a new kind of healthcare company whose mission is to empower people worldwide to live healthier at every stage of life, regardless of geography or circumstance.
Our focus is to connect more people to more products and health services by leveraging our collective expertise, portfolio and supply chain capabilities. Our journey has started with a strong foundation and a deep commitment to corporate responsibility.
We are proud of the work achieved in the first year as Viatris has been named on the list of America’s Most Responsible Companies 2022, named No. 5 on Fortune’s Change the World list, and ranked in the top third of Forbes’ impressive list of world’s best employers.
How does Viatris differentiate itself?
We are committed to empowering people around the world to improve their health and get access to the treatments they need irrespective of geography and circumstance. Viatris’ unique global platform comprises more than 40 manufacturing sites globally across oral solid doses, injectables, complex dosage forms and active pharmaceutical ingredients capable of producing more than 80 billion doses annually.
Although we are a global company, we take a local approach, with a deep understanding of how best to serve our patients and customers across the 165 countries and territories where we operate.
With our best-in-class manufacturing, dedication to product safety and quality, scientific expertise, regulatory and commercial capabilities, we are able to remove barriers to access and be the Partner of ChoiceTM through our Global Healthcare Gateway®.
What are Viatris’ plans for KSA and how are you planning to contribute to the KSA healthcare vision?
From a portfolio perspective Viatris offers a diverse range of treatment options across different therapeutic areas such as cardiovascular disease, Mental Health, pain management, urology, respiratory disease and dermatology and plan to further diversify with new offerings from our global portfolio.
We are planning to increase our footprint in KSA in line with the government’s vision which aims at increasing the country’s regional role as a center of excellence and a talent hub.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) continue to be the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. How is Viatris contributing to the fight against NCDs?
NCDs remain the leading cause of death globally. With our global portfolio which comprises more than 1,400 molecules across a wide range of major therapeutic areas, we are working towards addressing these unmet needs. From cardiovascular health to oncology, we offer quality treatment options across more than 10 major therapeutic areas covering a wide variety of noncommunicable and infectious diseases.
The company also offers beyond the pill solutions and services such as diagnostics, health literacy support and digital tools to help patients better manage their health.
Our organization is collaborating with medical associations, patient advocacy groups and academia to develop innovative, integrated solutions and programs to help strengthen both the delivery and quality of healthcare – ultimately, to reduce the burden of NCDs.
The NCD Academy is one example of Viatris’ partnership with the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the World Heart Federation (WHF) and the NCD Alliance (NCDA), and local medical professional groups to provide healthcare professionals with educational resources to further advance their clinical skills and improve knowledge on the overall NCD management and improving health outcomes.
Looking towards the future, how do you expect the KSA pharmaceutical market to evolve in the coming years?
KSA is the largest pharmaceutical market in the region with a large local manufacturing and commercial capabilities. With the government’s recognition of healthcare as a strategic sector and the strengthening of the policy framework to attract talent and investment, KSA is set to play a critical role in the advancement of the regional healthcare landscape. Transformation is building a more innovative, quality and technologically focused healthcare framework that empowers patients to take an active role in their health Journey.
Viatris is committed to be a Partner of ChoiceTM through our Global Healthcare Gateway®, maximizing its global healthcare gateway and local footprint, connecting more people to more products and services in KSA to achieve improved healthcare outcomes in our community.
