Is Viatris a subsidiary of Pfizer?

No. Viatris is an independent public company. Pfizer spun off its Upjohn division and combined it with Mylan in November 2020 to create Viatris. Pfizer distributed its Viatris shares to Pfizer shareholders in 2021 and retains no ownership connection.

When was Viatris founded?

Viatris launched in November 2020 through the merger of Pfizer's Upjohn division and Mylan. Mylan itself was founded in 1961, and the Upjohn name traces to a pharmaceutical company founded in 1886.

No individual founded Viatris; it was created by corporate merger. Its predecessor companies were founded by Milan Puskar and Don Panoz (Mylan, 1961) and William Erastus Upjohn (Upjohn Company, 1886).

What is Viatris's market position?

Viatris is among the world's largest suppliers of generic medicines, competing primarily with Teva and Sandoz. It holds a top-tier position in established branded products, anchored by Lipitor, Norvasc, and EpiPen, and sells in more than 165 countries.

Does Pfizer still make Viagra and Lipitor?

No. Viagra, Lipitor, and other Upjohn legacy brands are owned and marketed by Viatris since November 2020. Pfizer retained its innovative medicines and vaccine portfolio, including Comirnaty, Paxlovid, Ibrance, and Eliquis.

Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals

Who Owns Viatris?

Q: Is Viatris publicly traded?

Yes. Viatris Inc. trades on the Nasdaq under the ticker VTRS. Shares are widely held by institutional investors with no controlling shareholder.

Viatris is the corporate brand of Viatris Inc. (Nasdaq: VTRS), an American global pharmaceutical company formed in November 2020 by combining Pfizer's Upjohn division with Mylan. Headquartered in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, the brand covers branded medicines such as Lipitor, Viagra, EpiPen, Norvasc, Lyrica, Celebrex, Zoloft, and Xanax, plus more than 1,400 approved generic molecules sold in over 165 countries. Viatris reported $14.3 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2025.

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Parent Company

Viatris Inc.

Founded

2020

Status

Publicly Traded

Headquarters

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, USA

mass marketGlobalOfficial Website

Who Owns Viatris?

Parent Company: Viatris Inc.
Ownership Type: Brand division
Company Type: Publicly Traded
Stock Ticker: Nasdaq: VTRS

Brand	Parent Company	Ownership Type
Viatris	Viatris Inc.	Brand division

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Viatris on Amazon

History of Viatris

Founded: 2020
Founders: Merger of Upjohn (Pfizer) and Mylan

The Viatris brand launched in November 2020 with the completion of a deal announced in July 2019: Pfizer separated its Upjohn business and combined it with Mylan. The strategy paired Upjohn's portfolio of aging but still profitable blockbuster brands with Mylan's global generics manufacturing and distribution infrastructure.

Mylan, founded in 1961 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, had grown into one of the world's largest generic drugmakers, with a portfolio of roughly 1,400 molecules and the controversial EpiPen franchise. Upjohn brought about 20 legacy branded products, including Lipitor, Viagra, Celebrex, Norvasc, Xanax, Zoloft, and Lyrica.

The combined company started with approximately $19 billion in annual revenue and began shrinking deliberately. It sold its biosimilars business to Biocon Biologics in a deal completed in 2023, divested over-the-counter rights in several markets, and trimmed its manufacturing network to 27 sites.

Manufacturing problems then hit. In late 2024, the FDA issued a warning letter and import alert for the Indore, India facility, blocking 11 generic drugs from U.S. import and costing the company about $370 million in 2025 revenue. A February 2025 fire halted production at the Nashik, India facility.

In February 2026, Viatris announced results of an enterprise-wide restructuring: a planned workforce reduction of up to 10%, expected net cost savings of roughly $400 million annually, and a strategic pivot toward innovative medicines. On October 8, 2026, the company agreed to acquire Pacira BioSciences, adding the non-opioid pain therapies Exparel and Zilretta.

About Viatris Inc.

What does Viatris own?
Viatris owns the Lipitor, Viagra, Xanax, and Eliquis brands, along with a portfolio of over 1,400 approved generic molecules across cardiovascular, respiratory, central nervous system, oncology, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. The company also has a pipeline of complex generics and biosimilars. Its product portfolio was formed through the merger of Upjohn (Pfizer's legacy brand-name drug business) and Mylan (a global generic pharmaceutical company).

Is Viatris publicly traded?
Yes, Viatris Inc. is publicly traded on the Nasdaq stock exchange under ticker VTRS. The company has a dispersed shareholder base with institutional investors holding the majority of shares. Pfizer distributed its Viatris shares to Pfizer shareholders in 2021 and no longer holds a significant ownership stake. Viatris returned more than $1 billion to shareholders in 2025 through share repurchases and dividends.

Who founded Viatris?
Viatris was not founded by individuals. It was created in November 2020 through the merger of Upjohn, a division of Pfizer that held legacy brand-name drugs, and Mylan, a global generic pharmaceutical company founded in 1961 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The merger combined Upjohn's brand-name portfolio with Mylan's generic manufacturing capabilities to form a new company focused on providing access to affordable medicines.

Where is Viatris headquartered?
Viatris is headquartered in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, USA. The company maintains its corporate offices in Pennsylvania and operates manufacturing facilities, distribution centers, and sales offices across the world. Its manufacturing network includes facilities in the United States, India, Europe, and China.

How many brands does Viatris own?
Viatris owns four key brand-name medicines: Lipitor, Viagra, Xanax, and Eliquis. The company also owns a portfolio of over 1,400 approved generic molecules across multiple therapeutic areas. In 2025, the company generated approximately $324 million in new product revenues and expects $450 million to $550 million in new product revenues in 2026 from its pipeline of generic and complex generic products.

Who owns Viatris?
Viatris is a publicly traded company with a dispersed shareholder base. Institutional investors, including mutual funds and investment firms, hold the majority of shares. No single shareholder has controlling ownership. Pfizer, the former parent of Upjohn, distributed its Viatris shares to Pfizer shareholders in 2021 and no longer holds a significant stake. The company is governed by a board of directors with independent representation.

What are Viatris's largest brands?
Lipitor and Viagra are Viatris's most recognizable brand-name products. Lipitor is a cholesterol-lowering statin medication originally developed by Pfizer. Viagra is an erectile dysfunction medication also originally developed by Pfizer. Xanax, an anti-anxiety medication, and Eliquis, an anticoagulant, are the company's other major brand-name products. Together, these brands contribute to the Developed Markets segment, which generated $8.5 billion in revenue in 2025.

Founded: 2020
Headquarters: Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, USA
Company Type: Publicly Traded
Stock: Nasdaq: VTRS
Revenue: $14.3 billion (FY2025)
Employees: approximately 32,000

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Where Is Viatris Made / Based?

Headquarters: Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, USA
Manufacturing / Operations: United States, India, Europe, China

Viatris Categories & Tags

Pharmaceuticals Generics Branded Generics Viatris Prescription

Viatris Sustainability & Ethics

Viatris publishes an annual sustainability report covering access to medicines, environmental targets for its manufacturing network, and supply chain ethics. Its generics portfolio is itself an access story: generic drugs typically cost 80% to 90% less than branded equivalents, and Viatris supplies them in more than 165 countries.

The company is not a Certified B Corporation and holds no independent consumer-facing sustainability certifications. Supplier audits are conducted through third-party verifiers under its Code of Conduct.

Manufacturing compliance is a live issue. The FDA warning letter and import alert at Indore and the Nashik fire raised questions about quality control that the company says are substantially remediated pending FDA reinspection.

Viatris Recalls & Controversies

FDA import alert and warning letter (2024): The FDA banned 11 generic drugs produced at the Indore, India facility from U.S. import, citing deficiencies in procedures and data integrity investigations. The disruption cost approximately $370 million in 2025 revenue. The company reports remediation is substantially complete and awaiting reinspection.

Nashik facility fire (2025): A February 2025 fire halted production at the Nashik, India oral solid dose plant. The facility was expected to resume operations within about two months.

EpiPen pricing legacy: The EpiPen pricing controversy predates Viatris but attaches to the brand it now owns. Mylan raised the product's price roughly 400% over several years, settled with the Department of Justice for $465 million in 2017 over Medicaid rebate misclassification, and later paid $264 million to settle a consumer class action.

2025 goodwill impairment: Viatris reported a U.S. GAAP net loss of $3.5 billion for 2025, driven by a $2.9 billion non-cash goodwill impairment reflecting the reduced carrying value of acquired assets.

Viatris Ownership: Pros & Cons

Advantages

+Independent public company structure gives direct access to capital markets for deals like the Pacira acquisition
+Globally recognized brand names retain pricing power even after patent expiry, especially in emerging markets
+Manufacturing at 27 sites across multiple regions supports supply to 165+ countries
+Generics portfolio aligns with healthcare cost containment trends in most markets
+Greater China growth provides a clear revenue driver

Considerations

-FDA regulatory exposure at Indian manufacturing sites has already cost $370 million in revenue
-Legacy brands face continuous generic erosion as patents and exclusivities lapse
-Restructuring of up to 10% of the workforce creates execution risk
-EpiPen's pricing history remains a reputational liability attached to the brand

Frequently Asked Questions About Viatris

Sources & Further Reading

Competitors to Viatris

These competing brands operate in the same categories and provide similar products or services. Compare key attributes to understand market positioning and competitive landscape.

Brand	Parent Company	Country	Founded	Market Position	Primary Market	Gender Target
Sandoz	Sandoz Group	Switzerland	1886	Market leader	Global	All-ages
CelebrexSister Brand	Viatris	USA	1998	Premium	Global	All-ages
EpiPenSister Brand	Viatris	USA	1987	Premium	Global	All Genders
LipitorSister Brand	Viatris	USA	1996	Premium	Global	All-ages
NorvascSister Brand	Viatris	USA	1992	Mass market	Global	All-ages
XanaxSister Brand	Viatris	USA	1981	Premium	United states	All Genders