Interview with Eric Bossan, Head of Europe Viatris

Martin Banks talks with Eric Bossan.

Can you tell us something about Viatris, your own personal role and also what the company is doing, and will do, in terms of environmental sustainability?

Viatris is a global health-care company formed in November 2020 with a workforce of more than 40,000. Viatris aims to deliver increased access to affordable, quality medicines for patients worldwide, regardless of geography or circumstance.

I oversee our commercial operations. In Europe, we are one of the leading pharmaceutical companies. We have a presence in 38 countries and employ approx. 11,000 individuals. We are, for example, a key player in thrombosis, and in driving access to biosimilars, which can offer important, and often more affordable, treatment alternatives – with one of the industry’s largest and most diverse biosimilar portfolios.

Sustainability for us refers to the long-term durability of our overall performance, powered by our mission and operating model. This assumes respect for the natural resources we rely on and the societal contributions we make through our work.

Pollution is one of the themes of EU Green Week this year. How big a health problem is pollution and what do you hope the event will achieve in terms of tackling this global issue?

As stated also in the Zero Pollution action plan launched by the EC mid-May, pollution is the largest environmental cause of multiple mental and physical diseases and of premature deaths.

As part of our commitment, we are upholding sustainable and responsible operations, and work diligently to reduce our environmental impact. We have an integrated approach focused on managing our water use, air emissions, waste, climate change and energy impact; some examples of our efforts are: we grew the use of renewable energy by 485% in the past five years and all sites from our legacy company Mylan in Ireland – a country where we have the highest number of sites in Europe - are using 100% renewable energy.

That being said, EU Green Week 2021 has been and continues to be an opportunity to exchange knowledge and engage with stakeholders and interested citizens on how we can work together to make the ambition for a zero pollution and toxic-free environment a reality.

We cannot do it alone – therefore, we partner with industry and academia to promote risk- and science-based policies and practices.

For example, we are advocating established industry initiatives on good environmental practices including responsible manufacturing and effluent management, as well as partnering with pharmaceutical industry to scale up application.

What specifically is your company’s engagement with Green Week 2021 and, more generally, with the EU? How realistic is the EU’s Zero Pollution Ambition? Could the EU be doing more in this field?

As it was a very insightful week, my call is to use EUGreenWeek energy to take on the environmental challenges ahead and be inspired by the determination and commitment the pharmaceutical industry has put behind COVID-19. The pharmaceutical industry needs to play a part in leading these efforts, as we look to ensure the supply of high-quality medicine and upholding responsible environmental conduct.

Our work at the Brussels level combines advocating for established good practices including responsible manufacturing and effluent management. We believe this is the best way to scale the application of good environmental practices and to facilitate effectiveness across the value chain, to help reduce administrative burden and contain cost – all of which serve the two overarching objectives of stable and timely access to high quality and affordable medicine and responsible conduct.

For example, we are working together with the European pharmaceutical industry associations -  Medicines for Europe, the Association of the European Self-Care Industry (AESGP) and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) - and developed a holistic framework for prediction and prioritization of pharmaceuticals to support evaluations of their potential risks in water systems and a spatially explicit environmental exposure tool which enables users to predict API (active pharmaceutical ingredient) concentrations in water systems. The follow-up project, PREMIER, public-private partnership, co-funded by the European Commission and started in September 2020, will make the available environmental data more visible and accessible to all stakeholders.

Can you explain, briefly, how your company tries to balance between addressing pressing health needs and tackling environmental challenges?

Environmental and human health are interconnected, a relationship underscored by climate change, pollution and water stress. The European Commission has set ambitious targets in the European Climate Law - to include the 2030 emissions reduction target of at least 55% as a steppingstone to the 2050 climate neutrality goal; it will most certainly help to drive a greener Europe and contribute to improve public health.

As regards to pharmaceuticals, the ambitious Zero Pollution Action Plan aims to solve pollution from pharmaceuticals in water, in addition to the EU one Health Action Plan against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Additionally, EU citizens, and our customers and business partners, are more environmentally conscious and demand that companies take a position and show commitment to this topic.

As pharmaceuticals are a highly regulated industry, manufacturing effluent only marginally contributes to the presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment. Most of the impact comes from human excretion. For effective results, municipalities should be putting in place wastewater treatment plants.

We are committed to doing our part as we work to fulfil our mission of addressing the environmental impact of our industry while delivering access to patients regardless of geography or circumstance.

Conserving water and proactive wastewater management are core components to managing sustainable operations as well as in promoting access to medicine and good health. For example, in 2020, we implemented measures at several of our sites in India to reduce our water use, enhance efficiency and ensure that no untreated wastewater enters the environment. These initiatives testify to our commitment to conserving water and proactive wastewater management globally.

Another area which we find to be critical to partner on is fighting antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which occurs when bacteria evolve to withstand the effects of antibiotics. Many factors contribute to AMR, including poor infection control, over-prescribing of antibiotics and antibiotics in the environment. Most antibiotics in the environment are the result of human and animal excretions while a significantly smaller amount is from the manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and their formulation into drugs. We are a signatory to the Davos Declaration on combating AMR and a founding board member of the AMR Industry Alliance. We have adopted the AMR Industry Alliance Common Antibiotic Manufacturing Framework and are an active member of its manufacturing working group. The Common Antibiotic Manufacturing Framework provides a common methodology to assess potential risk from antibiotic discharges and to take appropriate action when necessary.

As a newly formed company, we look forward to setting science-based performance targets, initially focused on climate, water and waste. Also, Viatris has recently endorsed the UN Global Compact CEO Water Mandate. It is an important, global initiative committed to reducing water stress by identifying and reducing critical water risks, seizing water-related opportunities, and contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

What, if any, are the lessons to be learned from the pandemic in terms of environmental sustainability and tackling pollution? Will the world be better equipped to tackle another pandemic like this?

The pandemic has underlined urgent issues of global health solidarity, security and equity, and the economic impacts of it will have long-ranging ramifications. As a company, in 2020, we focused our policy efforts related to COVID-19 on ensuring continuity of access to medicines for patients around the world, overcoming an ever-changing landscape of border restrictions, government requirements and health system disruptions.

The efforts made by hundreds of thousands of healthcare workers worldwide can’t be underscored enough. Their tireless efforts and the collaboration between public and private partners, including the global pharmaceutical industry, proves that when we align on a common objective, we can make it happen.

Looking to the future, what do you see as the main issues/challenges ahead for policymakers and your sector?

To overcome any challenges or issues, we must keep an open and constructive dialogue with stakeholders around Europe, aim to find solutions that guarantee access to medicines and respond to the health and environmental challenges. It is my strong belief that business can be a force for good. We are ready to partner for a greener and more just Europe.

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