Mylan and Pfizer have entered an agreement to combine Mylan with Upjohn, Pfizer’s off-patent branded and generic established medicines business, creating a new global pharmaceutical company.
 
The new company will transform and accelerate each businesses’ ability to serve patients’ needs and expand their capabilities across more than 165 markets by bringing together the two businesses. Mylan brings a diverse portfolio across many geographies and key therapeutic areas, such as central nervous system and anesthesia, infectious disease and cardiovascular, as well as a robust pipeline, high-quality manufacturing and supply chain excellence. Upjohn brings iconic brands, such as Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium), Celebrex (celecoxib) and Viagra (sildenafil), and proven commercialization capabilities, including leadership positions in China and other emerging markets.
 
The transaction will allow the new company to expand the geographic reach of Mylan’s existing broad product portfolio and future pipeline, including significant investments that have been made across complex generics and biosimilars, into new growth markets where Upjohn has existing sales infrastructure and local market expertise.
 
The combination will drive a sustainable, diverse and differentiated portfolio of prescription medicines, complex generics, over-the-counter products and biosimilars supported by commercial and regulatory expertise, established infrastructure, best-in-class R&D capabilities and high-quality manufacturing and supply chain excellence.
 
The new company is expected to have 2020 revenues of approximately $20 billion.
 
The new company, which will be renamed and rebranded at close, will be led by Mylan’s current chairman Robert J. Coury, who will serve as executive chairman of the new company; Michael Goettler, current group president, Upjohn, will serve as chief executive officer; and Rajiv Malik, current Mylan president, will serve as president. Heather Bresch, Mylan’s current chief executive officer, will retire from Mylan upon the close of this transaction.
 
“Over the past year and a half, I have spent a lot of time speaking with and listening attentively to our shareholders. Today’s announcement builds upon many of those meaningful conversations and represents a transformative move for Mylan,” said Mr. Coury. “The new company, which combines the unique assets of Mylan with the iconic brands of Pfizer’s Upjohn business, will not only accelerate our mission to serve the world’s changing health needs, but also further unlock the true value of our platform while delivering attractive returns to shareholders for many years to come. Importantly, the combined organization will have a presence across nearly every continent and major market, establishing a new leadership position in Asia, and offering products capable of treating all major therapeutic areas. This combination also further accelerates Mylan’s longstanding strategy to create the operational scale and commercial capabilities necessary to provide the world’s more than 7 billion people with access to medicine.”
 
Albert Bourla, chief executive officer, Pfizer, said, “We are creating a new champion for global health—one poised to bring world-class medicines to patients across a wide range of therapeutic areas. I believe that Mylan’s unique profile and strategy has made it the obvious partner of choice in creating this powerful combination. By bringing Mylan’s growth assets to Upjohn’s growth markets, we will create a financially strong company with true global reach. I’m also excited about the management team, which combines strong executive talent from both companies, whose commitment to improving global health for patients and to delivering returns to shareholders are great assets for the new company. For Pfizer, this transaction represents our sharpened focus on innovative medicines and is a testament to our purpose – breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. At the same time, we’ll maintain the financial flexibility to advance our strong pipeline, invest for growth and continue to return capital to our shareholders.”