Servier Laboratories (French: Laboratoires Servier, often abbreviated to Servier) is an international
pharmaceutical company
The pharmaceutical industry discovers, develops, produces, and markets drugs or pharmaceutical drugs for use as medications to be administered to patients (or self-administered), with the aim to cure them, vaccinate them, or alleviate sympt ...
governed by a non-profit foundation, with its
headquarters in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
(
Suresnes
Suresnes () is a Communes of France, commune in the western suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France. Located in Hauts-de-Seine, from the centre of Paris, it had a population of 49,145 as of 2016. The nearest communes are Nanterre, Puteaux, Rueil-Malmais ...
).
The consolidated turnover for the 2018 financial year was €4.2 billion.
Servier is the leading French independent pharmaceutical company, and the second largest French pharmaceutical company worldwide. It has branches in 149 countries, achieving 82% of its sales outside France.
The company reportedly invests a little under 25% of its turnover in
research and development
Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...
, which occupies 3,000 of its 22,000 employees worldwide. The company's production sites produced 853 million drug boxes in 2013.
[
The Servier Clinical Support Unit in Gidy (near ]Orléans
Orléans (;["Orleans"](_blank)
(US) and [clinical trials
Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dietar ...]
, is the largest unit of its kind in Europe. Servier Laboratories is a full member of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA).
In 2018, Servier finalized the acquisition of Shire’s oncology branch in Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
and named David K. Lee as CEO. The official opening of Servier's new U.S. headquarters took place in 2019.[Un doute sur la «sécurité» du Mediator dès 1998 - Libération](_blank)
/ref> Further investigations found that many previous safety alerts on that drug had been either missed or covered up, possibly due to the improper influence of the company.
Product portfolio
Notable products:
*Gliclazide
Gliclazide, sold under the brand name Diamicron among others, is a sulfonylurea type of anti-diabetic medication, used to treat type 2 diabetes. It is used when dietary changes, exercise, and weight loss are not enough. It is taken by mouth.
...
(Diamicron, Diamicron MR) — antidiabetic drug
Drugs used in diabetes treat diabetes mellitus by altering the glucose level in the blood. With the exceptions of insulin, most GLP receptor agonists (liraglutide, exenatide, and others), and pramlintide, all are administered orally and are thu ...
*Indapamide
Indapamide is a thiazide-like diuretic drug used in the treatment of hypertension, as well as decompensated heart failure. Combination preparations with perindopril (an ACE inhibitor antihypertensive) are available. The thiazide-like diureti ...
(Fludex SR, Natrilex SR, Lozide) — diuretic
A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics in ...
* Ivabradine (Procoralan) — antianginal drugs
*Perindopril
Perindopril is a medication used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure, or stable coronary artery disease.
As a long-acting ACE inhibitor, it works by relaxing blood vessels and decreasing blood volume. As a prodrug, perindopril is hydro ...
(Coversyl) — ACE inhibitor
Angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) are a class of medication used primarily for the treatment of high blood pressure and heart failure. They work by causing relaxation of blood vessels as well as a decrease in blood volum ...
* Strontium ranelate (Protelos) — osteoporosis agent
*Tianeptine
Tianeptine, sold under the brand names Stablon and Coaxil among others, is an atypical antidepressant which is used mainly in the treatment of major depressive disorder, although it may also be used to treat anxiety, asthma, and irritable bowel ...
(Stablon) — antidepressant, indirect alteration of AMPA
α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid, better known as AMPA, is a compound that is a specific agonist for the AMPA receptor, where it mimics the effects of the neurotransmitter glutamate.
There are several types of glutamaterg ...
and NMDA
''N''-methyl--aspartic acid or ''N''-methyl--aspartate (NMDA) is an amino acid derivative that acts as a specific agonist at the NMDA receptor mimicking the action of glutamate, the neurotransmitter which normally acts at that receptor. Unlike ...
glutamate
Glutamic acid (symbol Glu or E; the ionic form is known as glutamate) is an α-amino acid that is used by almost all living beings in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is a non-essential nutrient for humans, meaning that the human body can syn ...
receptor activity
*Trimetazidine
Trimetazidine ( IUPAC: 1-(2,3,4-trimethoxybenzyl)piperazine) is a drug for angina pectoris (chest pain associated with blood flow to the heart) sold under many brand names. Trimetazidine is described as the first cytoprotective anti-ischemic a ...
(Vastarel MR) — antianginal drug.
Other products:
*Agomelatine
Agomelatine, sold under the brand names Valdoxan and Thymanax, among others, is an atypical antidepressant most commonly used to treat major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. One review found that it is as effective as other ...
(Valdoxan, Melitor, Thymanax)
*Almitrine
Almitrine (marketed as Duxil by Servier) is a diphenylmethylpiperazine derivative classified as a respiratory stimulant by the ATC. It enhances respiration by acting as an agonist of peripheral chemoreceptors located on the carotid bodies. The ...
(Duxil, Vectarion)
*Amineptine
Amineptine, formerly sold under the brand name Survector among others, is an atypical antidepressant of the tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) family. It acts as a selective and mixed dopamine reuptake inhibitor and releasing agent, and to a lesse ...
(Survector, Maneon, Directim)
*Benfluorex
Benfluorex, sold under the brand name Mediator, is an anorectic and hypolipidemic agent that is structurally related to fenfluramine (a substituted amphetamine). It may improve glycemic control and decrease insulin resistance in people with poorl ...
(Mediaxal)
* Carbutamide (Glucidoral)
* Daflon 500
* Fenspiride (Pneumorel)
*Fotemustine
Fotemustine is a nitrosourea alkylating agent used in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. It is available in Europe but has not been approved by the United States FDA. A study has shown that fotemustine produces improved response rates and but ...
(Muphoran)
* Fusafungine (Locabiotal)
*Gliclazide
Gliclazide, sold under the brand name Diamicron among others, is a sulfonylurea type of anti-diabetic medication, used to treat type 2 diabetes. It is used when dietary changes, exercise, and weight loss are not enough. It is taken by mouth.
...
(Diamicron)
*Indapamide
Indapamide is a thiazide-like diuretic drug used in the treatment of hypertension, as well as decompensated heart failure. Combination preparations with perindopril (an ACE inhibitor antihypertensive) are available. The thiazide-like diureti ...
(Natrilix, Tertensif, Lozide)
* Pegaspargase (Oncaspar) — Acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment
*Perindopril
Perindopril is a medication used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure, or stable coronary artery disease.
As a long-acting ACE inhibitor, it works by relaxing blood vessels and decreasing blood volume. As a prodrug, perindopril is hydro ...
(Coversyl, Prestarium)
* Perindopril/indapamide (Preterax, Coversyl Plus)
* Piribedil (Trivastal retard)
* Rilmenidine (Hyperium)
*Tianeptine
Tianeptine, sold under the brand names Stablon and Coaxil among others, is an atypical antidepressant which is used mainly in the treatment of major depressive disorder, although it may also be used to treat anxiety, asthma, and irritable bowel ...
(Coaxil, Stablon)
*Sodium alginate
Alginic acid, also called algin, is a naturally occurring, edible polysaccharide found in brown algae. It is hydrophilic and forms a viscous gum when hydrated. With metals such as sodium and calcium, its salts are known as alginates. Its colour ...
(Pseudophage)
* Sulbutiamine (Arcalion)
*Tertatolol
Tertatolol (Artex, Artexal, Prenalex) is a medication in the class of beta blockers, used in the treatment of high blood pressure. It was discovered by the French pharmaceutical company Servier and is marketed in Europe.
Tertatolol has also been ...
(Artex)
*Vitamin
A vitamin is an organic molecule (or a set of molecules closely related chemically, i.e. vitamers) that is an essential micronutrient that an organism needs in small quantities for the proper functioning of its metabolism. Essential nut ...
s (Vitathion)
Collaborative research
As well as internal research and development activities, Servier undertakes publicly funded collaborative research projects with industrial and academic partners. One example, in the area of non-clinical safety assessment, is the InnoMed PredTox.Innovative Medicines Initiative
The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) is a European initiative to improve the competitive situation of the European Union in the field of pharmaceutical research. The IMI is a joint initiative ( public-private partnership) of the DG Resear ...
of EFPIA and the European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
.
Controversy
Servier Laboratories has been the object of worldwide scandal for creating and distributing a weight-loss drug called Mediator, which may have killed up to 2,100 people.
The movie '' 150 Milligrams'', by director Emmanuelle Bercot, features Dr. Irène Frachon discovering that Mediator pills cause heart valve problems/deaths and how in 2009 she starts an uphill battle against the producer and the French health authorities.
In March 2021, Servier was sentenced to a fine of 2.7 million euros for aggravated deception and involuntary manslaughter
Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ...
, however it was acquitted of fraud charges. The court also ordered the company to pay several hundred million euros in damages to the 6,500 plaintiffs, and one of its leading managers was sentenced to four years on probation. The French medical agency ANSM was fined 300,000 euros for failing proper supervision.''Mediator drug: French pharmaceutical firm fined over weight loss pill''
BBC, 29 March 2021
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Pharmaceutical companies established in 1954
1954 establishments in France
French brands
Suresnes