(MENAFN- 3BL) At Viatris, we believe that mental health is an essential part of overall wellbeing. This World Mental Health Day, we reflect on the many ways our teams and partners around the world are helping to raise awareness, expand access, and create spaces of understanding for those living with mental health conditions.

Our work in 2024 included initiatives collectively aimed at promoting awareness, educating and training healthcare providers, conducting research and developing treatments with governments and institutions.

Promoting Awareness

• Supported“Tear Away the Silence” live podcasts by 'mentl,' a United Arab Emirates mental health advocacy platform. The campaign reached approximately 5.5 million people, contributing to reducing stigma and empowering people's mental health and wellbeing journeys.
• Collaborated in Türkiye with the Association of Psychiatric Sciences and Research (PiBAD) on the“Hayata Varım” Mental Health Disease Awareness Campaign to break down barriers to mental health care access.
• Continued to support the Yellow September Campaign,“Love Me, Love Myself,” in partnership with the Brazilian Association of Family, Friends and People with Affective Disorders (ABRATA).
• Supported the“Words Matter” project in Mexico to educate the media on how to speak and write about mental health conditions and treatments.

Education and Training

• Supported the development of a line of care guidelines in Brazil to improve access to care, reduce stigma and optimize diagnosis and treatment in primary care. The guidelines include clinical flowcharts, evidence-based treatment protocols, training for primary care doctors, continuous patient follow-up and integration with specialized mental health networks.

Government and Institutional Partnerships

• Signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Egyptian Ministry of Health to provide funding for the“Your Health is Happiness” program, part of the government's broader 100 Million Health program. The program aims to include mental health screening for 2 million people and addresses issues such as depression, anxiety, autism, and addictions to substances, gaming and the internet in addition to supporting public awareness campaigns and capacity.

Research and Treatment Development

• Filed applications to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan for approval of Effexor® to treat adults with generalized anxiety disorder, an indication for which no other treatment option is currently approved in Japan. Viatris in 2024 published Phase 3 study results into the treatment's efficacy and safety.

Exploring Art in Spain to Understand and Address Mental Health

Also in 2024, the Viatris Foundation in Spain brought together psychiatrists and art experts for a unique event at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía to explore new ways to understand and talk about mental health. Participants at the“La Mente sobre el Lienzo” – or“Mind on Canvas” - event included a guided tour of some of the museum's most iconic works and discussion about how art can offer comfort, support and provide an outlet for expression to people living with mental health conditions.

During the tour, various works were examined in depth, each linked to a psychiatric analysis. Each work served as a starting point for reflecting on how art can symbolize deep emotions, life experiences and internal struggles often faced by those living with mental health conditions.

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