The company has joined hands with the government and healthcare authorities to create value through innovation in areas where there are high unmet medical needs.

Boehringer Ingelheim Vietnam’s general manager, Cyndy B. Galimpin, talks about the company’s achievements and vision for the market.

Cyndy B. Galimpin, general manager of Boehringer Ingelheim Vietnam

How does Boehringer Ingelheim's purpose connect to the company's achievements in the last 25 years? 

Our purpose at Boehringer Ingelheim is ‘Transforming Lives for Generations.’ Transforming lives signifies the influence of our work in the healthcare sector and beyond, while ‘for generations’ emphasises our long-term approach and dedication, which underlines our focus on sustainability. We focus on two primary sectors: human pharma and animal health. 

We have pioneered treatments for various diseases, including hypertension, cardio-renal metabolism, respiratory issues, oncology, and diabetes. 

We take great pride in our Angels Initiative, which assists hospitals worldwide in becoming ‘stroke-ready’ to provide prompt and effective treatment for stroke patients. In Việt nam, Boehringer Ingelheim Vietnam partners with the Vietnam Stroke Association (VNSA), HCM Stroke Association (HSA) and hospitals to improve stroke care. Last year 120 hospitals joined the Angels Initiative, and 98 became stroke-ready. More than 44,000 patients in Việt Nam have been positively impacted by this initiative so far.

We recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Medical Service Administration to optimise healthcare outcomes for patients. This partnership aims to improve the quality of diagnosis, treatment and management of cardiovascular, renal, metabolic, pulmonary, and other non-communicable diseases.

The MoU also hopes to add cost-effective value to treatments and contribute to improving the quality of life for patients.

Is Boehringer Ingelheim expecting any milestones in Việt Nam this year?

This year marks the 25th anniversary of our human pharma division and the 15th anniversary of our animal health division in Việt Nam. 

Moreover, the MoH has granted approval for our SGLT2 inhibitor to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalisation due to heart failure. This development will benefit more patients and enhance treatment of heart failure, which the National Institute of Cardiology estimates affects 1-2 per cent of the population. 

We also anticipate receiving future approval for the treating patients with chronic kidney disease. Prompt treatment increases the likelihood of recovery, which is a goal shared by all involved. 

Boehringer Ingelheim Vietnam has focused greatly on sustainable development. What has it done to achieve this?

Sustainability has always been part of Boehringer Ingelheim and is closely aligned with our company’s vision and mission. We strive to step up our contributions towards health for people and animals, healthy communities and a healthy planet – for our own generation and those that will follow us.

We believe that when animals are healthy, people are healthier too. The ‘Rabies vaccination for the community’ campaign in Long An is a continuing collaboration with local authorities and Boehringer Ingelheim’s partners to eliminate rabies in the region. The programme has vaccinated more than 12,000 dogs and cats in the past three years. 

Last year we donated office equipment worth more than US$10,000 to a non-governmental organization that takes care of children with disabilities to help enhance their learning opportunities.

We also promote employee engagement through internal events such as our annual Value Through Innovation Day, during which our teams in Hà Nội and HCM City supported less fortunate people, rescued animals and cleaned the environment. 

Last May Boehringer Ingelheim Vietnam staff supported less fortunate children and people in Hũu Nghị Village, Hà Nội.

Our business in Việt Nam is progressing to achieve the group's commitment of carbon neutrality in all  operations (Scope 1 and 2) by 2030. Scope 1 covers all direct emissions on company sites, and Scope 2 adds all emissions from energy purchases. We are transitioning towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and single-use plastic throughout our operations, and are collaborating with partners to impact our value chain. 

What is your development strategy for the next few years? 

Boehringer Ingelheim's development strategy for Việt Nam is focused on making a positive impact for many years. As a family-owned company, we are driven by innovative approaches to address the unmet medical needs of generations of patients. Our goal for the next five years is to double the number of patients we reach and focus on developing our employees by providing opportunities for talent to grow within. 

Boehringer Ingelheim Vietnam has grown from 50 employees to around 350 in 25 years across both our human pharma and animal health divisions. We are honoured to be recognised as one of the 15 Global Top Employers and as a Top Employer in Việt Nam for the fourth consecutive year.