Transatlantic partnership is key for improved patient access to medicines

Boosting competitiveness for American companies in Europe and tapping into the Transatlantic partnership for collaborative solutions to pressing challenges —these are key takeaways from a recent dynamic week of meetings in Brussels organized by the United States Chamber of Commerce.

Viatris joined 16 other companies in meetings including with the Ambassador Gitenstein, European Commission Executive Vice President Šefčovič and senior Commission and Council officials, reinforcing our commitment to enable access to medicines for patients in Europe.

The current Pharmaceutical Legislation review is the centerpiece of the European health space, and during the meetings we took the opportunity to share our views around how the review presents a unique opportunity to advance equitable access to medicines, while creating the conditions for a predictable, resilient, and future-proof pharmaceutical market.

Take Sustainability and the Green Transition as an example. According to the World Health Organization, climate change threatens to undo the last 50 years of progress in development and global health. With many Sustainability files still open in the EU, we shared our commitment to doing our part to advance sustainable practices and minimize our environmental footprint, while at the same time further building collaboration on the importance of safeguarding the reliable supply of medicines and more resilient healthcare systems. In relation to the Pharmaceutical Legislation, we encourage a pragmatic approach to environmental risk assessments, focusing on efficient use of limited resources and prioritizing patient access to medicines.

Securing access to medicines for European patients hits close to home for me as a proud European. For a global pharmaceutical company like Viatris, with a portfolio comprising more than 1,400 approved molecules across all major therapeutic areas and supplying over 35 billion doses of medicine in Europe each year, simplifying the regulatory burden is a critical step to enable patient access. This could also help improve European competitiveness as an important pharmaceutical research, development, and manufacturing location. Viatris supports the simplification of the European regulatory environment, including recognizing the significant potential for digitalization in improving coordination among Member States and European Institutions.

I am energized by the collaborative spirit in these recent meetings with EU policy makers. At Viatris we welcome such opportunities to engage in constructive discussions and foster partnership in advancing our mission to improve access to medicines. We recognize there's more to accomplish, and we're genuinely committed to doing our part, for the benefit of patients in Europe and around the world.