In the days following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine companies and corporations around the world are showing their support for Ukraine and cutting ties with Russia.
A letter signed by over 700 pharma leaders denounced President Vladimir Putin of Russia’s actions. The letter condemned Putin’s “unprovoked war against Ukraine” and marked the invasion as cause for complete and immediate “economic disengagement.”
CEO of Ovid Therapeutics Jeremy Levin discussed the letter in an interview with Yahoo Finance, where he publicly pledged that Ovid will cut ties with Russia and send extra support to Ukraine. Levin said that Ovid's intent is to stop investing in Russian infrastructure, joint ventures, and other collaboration and activities in Russia as a way to “stop enabling the activities of Putin.”
Ovid isn’t the only one speaking out against President Putin’s actions. Stars of the pharma world, like Roche Holding, Pfizer and Sanofi are taking action. Roche is donating 150,000 packages of a critical antibiotic, Rocephin, to Ukraine, the company announced. Pfizer is donating $1 million in humanitarian grants to the American Red Cross, International Medical Corps and International Rescue Committee through its charity arm, The Pfizer Foundation.
Sanofi has donated $5.5 million to the Red Cross for Ukraine and neighboring countries as well as to the U.N.’s refugee agency. The french drugmaker will accelerate donations of essential medicines and vaccines to patients in Ukraine and to Ukrainian refugees in neighboring countries, it said.
Other pharma companies getting involved include Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck, Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline and Eli Lilly.
The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations has begun tracking the pharma companies supporting Ukraine and the emerging refugee crisis on its website. The full list currently includes 14 companies who have pledged financial and/or medical support.