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Sanofi S.A. is a French multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company headquartered in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
,
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 ...
. Originally, the corporation was established in 1973 and merged with Synthélabo in 1999 to form Sanofi-Synthélabo. In 2004, Sanofi-Synthélabo merged with Aventis and renamed to Sanofi-Aventis, which were each the product of several previous mergers. It changed its name back to Sanofi in May 2011. The company is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50
stock market index In finance, a stock index, or stock market index, is an index that measures a stock market, or a subset of the stock market, that helps investors compare current stock price levels with past prices to calculate market performance. Two of the ...
. Sanofi engages in the
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 ...
, manufacturing and marketing of
pharmaceutical drugs A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and re ...
principally in the prescription market, but the firm also develops
over-the-counter medication Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines sold directly to a consumer without a requirement for a prescription from a healthcare professional, as opposed to prescription drugs, which may be supplied only to consumers possessing a valid prescr ...
. The corporation covers seven major therapeutic areas:
cardiovascular The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, tha ...
,
central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain and spinal cord. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity of all p ...
,
diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...
, internal medicine,
oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...
,
thrombosis Thrombosis (from Ancient Greek "clotting") is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel (a vein or an artery) is injured, the body uses platelets (thr ...
and
vaccine A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verified. ...
s (it is the world's largest producer of the latter through its subsidiary
Sanofi Pasteur Sanofi Pasteur is the vaccines division of the French multinational pharmaceutical company Sanofi. Sanofi Pasteur is the largest company in the world devoted entirely to vaccines. It is one of four global producers of the yellow fever vaccin ...
).


History


Sanofi-Synthélabo

Sanofi was founded in 1973 as a subsidiary of
Elf Aquitaine Elf Aquitaine is a French brand of oils and other motor products (such as brake fluids) for automobiles and trucks. Elf is a former petroleum company which merged with TotalFina to form "TotalFinaElf". The new company changed its name to Total i ...
(a French oil company subsequently acquired by Total), when Elf Aquitaine took control of the Labaz group, a pharmaceutical company formed in 1947, by Sociéte Belge de l'Azote et des Produits Chimiques du Marly; Labaz developed
benziodarone Benziodarone is a vasodilator. *Bufeniode has the same aromatic substitution pattern. See also * Amiodarone * Benzbromarone, the bromine, brominated analog (chemistry), analogue of benziodarone, used as an uricosuric * Dronedarone References
in 1957. In 1993, Sanofi made a move into the Eastern Europe market by acquiring a controlling interest in Chinoin, a Hungarian drug company that had about US$104 million in sales in 1992.Staff, The Pharma Letter. Sept 20, 199
Sanofi Extends Holding in Chinoin
/ref> In that same year, Sanofi's made its first significant venture into the U.S., and strengthened its presence in Eastern Europe, by first partnering with
Sterling Winthrop Sterling Drug was an American global pharmaceutical company, also known as Sterling Winthrop, Inc. in its last years (after the merger with Winthrop-Stearns Inc. which itself resulted from the merger of ''Winthrop Chemical Company Inc.'' and '' ...
and then acquiring the prescription pharmaceuticals business in 1994. Sanofi was incorporated under the laws of France in 1994, as a ''société anonyme'', a form of limited liability company.Sanofi-Synthélab
Form 20F for the Fiscal Year ended 31 December 2002
/ref> Synthélabo was founded in 1970, through the merger of two French pharmaceutical laboratories, Laboratoires Dausse (founded in 1834) and Laboratoires Robert & Carrière (founded in 1899). In 1973, the French cosmetics group
L'Oréal L'Oréal S.A. () is a French personal care company headquartered in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine with a registered office in Paris. It is the world's largest cosmetics company and has developed activities in the field concentrating on hair color, s ...
acquired the majority of its share capital. In 1991, Synthelabo acquired Laboratories Delalande and Laboratoires Delagrange, and through this deal picked up the product
metoclopramide Metoclopramide is a medication used for stomach and esophageal problems. It is commonly used to treat and prevent nausea and vomiting, to help with emptying of the stomach in people with delayed stomach emptying, and to help with gastroesoph ...
. Sanofi-Synthélabo was formed in 1999, when Sanofi merged with Synthélabo; at the time of the merger Sanofi was the second largest pharmaceutical group in France in terms of sales and Synthélabo was the third largest. The merged company was based in Paris, France. The merged companies focused on pharmaceuticals, divesting several businesses soon after the merger, including beauty, diagnostics, animal health and nutrition, custom chemicals, and two medical equipment businesses.


Aventis

Aventis was formed in 1999, when French company
Rhône-Poulenc Rhône-Poulenc () was a French chemical and pharmaceutical company founded in 1928. In 1999 it merged with Hoechst AG to form Aventis. As of 2015, the pharmaceutical operations of Rhône-Poulenc are part of Sanofi and the chemicals divisions a ...
S.A. merged with the German corporation
Hoechst Marion Roussel Hoechst AG () was a German chemicals then life-sciences company that became Aventis Deutschland after its merger with France's Rhône-Poulenc S.A. in 1999. With the new company's 2004 merger with Sanofi-Synthélabo, it became a subsidiary of the ...
, which itself was formed from the 1995 merger of
Hoechst AG Hoechst AG () was a German chemicals then life-sciences company that became Aventis Deutschland after its merger with France's Rhône-Poulenc S.A. in 1999. With the new company's 2004 merger with Sanofi-Synthélabo, it became a subsidiary of ...
with
Cassella Cassella AG, formerly Leopold Cassella & Co. and Cassella Farbwerke Mainkur AG, commonly known as Cassella, was a German chemical and pharmaceutical company with headquarters in Frankfurt am Main. Founded in 1798 in the Frankfurt Jewish Alley by ...
,
Roussel Uclaf Roussel Uclaf S.A. was a French pharmaceutical company and one of several predecessor companies of today's Sanofi. It was the second largest French pharmaceutical company before it was acquired by Hoechst AG of Frankfurt, Germany in 1997, with p ...
and
Marion Merrell Dow Marion Merrell Dow and its predecessor Marion Laboratories was a U.S. pharmaceutical company based in Kansas City, Missouri from 1950 until 1996. The company specialized in bringing to market drugs that had been discovered but unmarketed by othe ...
.
Hoechst AG Hoechst AG () was a German chemicals then life-sciences company that became Aventis Deutschland after its merger with France's Rhône-Poulenc S.A. in 1999. With the new company's 2004 merger with Sanofi-Synthélabo, it became a subsidiary of ...
, the majority partner at the time in
Hoechst Marion Roussel Hoechst AG () was a German chemicals then life-sciences company that became Aventis Deutschland after its merger with France's Rhône-Poulenc S.A. in 1999. With the new company's 2004 merger with Sanofi-Synthélabo, it became a subsidiary of the ...
, was itself a merger of two of the three forcibly separated subsidiaries of
IG Farben Interessengemeinschaft Farbenindustrie AG (), commonly known as IG Farben (German for 'IG Dyestuffs'), was a German chemical and pharmaceutical conglomerate. Formed in 1925 from a merger of six chemical companies— BASF, Bayer, Hoechst, Agfa ...
, exploiter of Auschwitz slave labor and supplier of
Zyklon B Zyklon B (; translated Cyclone B) was the trade name of a cyanide-based pesticide invented in Germany in the early 1920s. It consisted of hydrogen cyanide (prussic acid), as well as a cautionary eye irritant and one of several adsorbents such ...
during
The Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
. The merged company was based in
Schiltigheim Schiltigheim (, , and sometimes by non-local speakers of French; Alsatian: ''Schelige'' ; ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The inhabitants are called ''Schilikois'' in French and ''Scheligemer' ...
, near Strasbourg, France.Aventi
Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2002
/ref>Arturo Bris and Christos Cabolis
Corporate Governance Convergence Through Cross-Border Mergers The Case of Aventis
Chapter 4 i

Eds Greg N. Gregoriou, Luc Renneboog. Academic Press, 26 July 2007
Lawton Robert Burns
The Business of Healthcare Innovation
Cambridge University Press, 26 July 2012
At the time of the merger, Rhône-Poulenc's business included the pharmaceutical businesses Rorer, Centeon (blood products), and Pasteur Merieux (vaccines), the plant and animal health businesses Rhône-Poulenc Agro, Rhône-Poulenc Animal Nutrition, and
Merial Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health is a multinational animal health company, formed in January 2017 when Merial was acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim and merged with Boehringer Ingelheim's existing animal health assets. Overview In August 1997, ...
, and a 67 percent share in Rhodia, a speciality chemicals company. Hoechst, one of the companies resulting from the post-WWII split of
IG Farben Interessengemeinschaft Farbenindustrie AG (), commonly known as IG Farben (German for 'IG Dyestuffs'), was a German chemical and pharmaceutical conglomerate. Formed in 1925 from a merger of six chemical companies— BASF, Bayer, Hoechst, Agfa ...
, had seven primary businesses: Hoechst Marion Roussel (pharmaceuticals),
AgrEvo Plant Genetic Systems (PGS), since 2002 part of Bayer CropScience, is a biotech company located in Ghent, Belgium. The focus of its activities is the genetic engineering of plants. The company is best known for its work in the development of inse ...
(a joint venture with Schering in crop protection agents and pest control products), HR Vet (veterinary products), Dade Behring (diagnostics), Centeon,
Celanese Celanese Corporation, formerly known as Hoechst Celanese, is an American technology and specialty materials company headquartered in Irving, Texas. A Fortune 500 corporation, the company is the world’s leading producer of acetic acid, produci ...
(chemicals), and Messer (chemicals). Merieux has been in the business of selling blood products, and in the 1980s during the
AIDS epidemic The global epidemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 2021, HIV/AI ...
, Merieux and other companies were involved in scandals related to HIV-
contaminated haemophilia blood products Contaminated hemophilia blood products were a serious public health problem in the late 1970s up to 1985. These products caused large numbers of hemophiliacs to become infected with HIV and hepatitis C. The companies involved included Alpha Thera ...
that were sold to developing nations. In 2000, Aventis and
Millennium Pharmaceuticals Takeda Oncology (originally Millennium Pharmaceuticals) is a biopharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is a fully owned subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical. Takeda Oncology's research, development and commercialization act ...
, a US biotechnology company formed to discover new drugs based on the then-new science of
genomics Genomics is an interdisciplinary field of biology focusing on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of genomes. A genome is an organism's complete set of DNA, including all of its genes as well as its hierarchical, three-dim ...
, announced that Aventis would make a $250M investment in Millennium and would pay $200M to Millennium in research fees over five years, one of the largest such deals between a big pharmaceutical company and a biotech company at the time. In late 2000, in the midst of the recall of Starlink, its
genetically modified maize Genetically modified maize (corn) is a genetically modified crop. Specific maize strains have been genetically engineered to express agriculturally-desirable traits, including resistance to pests and to herbicides. Maize strains with both tra ...
product, Aventis announced that it had determined to sell off Aventis Cropscience, the seed and pesticide business unit it had created from the agriculture businesses of its predecessors. In October 2001,
Bayer Bayer AG (, commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's areas of business include pharmaceutica ...
and Aventis announced that Bayer would acquire the unit for about $6.6 billion, with the unit becoming
Bayer CropScience Bayer AG (, commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's areas of business include pharmaceutica ...
and making Bayer the world's second-largest agrochemical company behind
Syngenta Syngenta AG is a provider of agricultural science and technology, in particular seeds and pesticides with its management headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. It is owned by ChemChina, a Chinese state-owned enterprise. Syngenta was founded ...
. In 2003, Aventis entered into a collaboration with
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an American biotechnology company headquartered in Westchester County, New York. The company was founded in 1988. Originally focused on neurotrophic factors and their regenerative capabilities, giving rise to ...
, a New York biotechnology company, to develop Regeneron's
VEGF Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF, ), originally known as vascular permeability factor (VPF), is a signal protein produced by many cells that stimulates the formation of blood vessels. To be specific, VEGF is a sub-family of growth factors, ...
-inhibiting drug,
aflibercept Aflibercept, sold under the brand names Eylea and Zaltrap, is a medication used to treat wet macular degeneration and metastatic colorectal cancer. It was developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and is approved in the United States and the Euro ...
, in the field of cancer, which was then in Phase I clinical trials. Aventis invested $45 million in Regeneron and made an upfront payment of $80 million in cash. Regeneron partnered the drug with
Bayer Healthcare Bayer AG (, commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's areas of business include pharmaceutica ...
in the field of proliferative eye diseases, and under the name Eylea it was approved by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...
(FDA) in 2011; after several setbacks in clinical trials, Regeneron and Sanofi got the drug approved in metastatic colorectal cancer in combination with other agents, under the brand name Zaltrap in 2012.


Sanofi-Aventis merger

Sanofi-Aventis was formed in 2004, when Sanofi-Synthélabo acquired Aventis. In early 2004, Sanofi-Synthélabo made a
hostile takeover In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to ...
bid worth €47.8 billion for Aventis. Initially, Aventis rejected the bid because it felt that the bid offered inferior value based on the company's share value, and the board of Aventis went so far as to enact poison pill provisions and to invite
Novartis Novartis AG is a Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland and Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (global research).name="novartis.com">https://www.novartis.com/research-development/research-loc ...
to enter merger negotiations. The three-month takeover battle concluded when Sanofi-Synthélabo launched a friendly bid of €54.5 billion in place of the previously rejected hostile bid. The French government played a strong role, desiring what it called a "local solution", by putting heavy pressure on Sanofi-Synthélabo to raise its bid for Aventis and for Aventis to accept the offer and by rejecting Aventis' poison pill proposal. One of the largest risks in the deal for both sides, was the fate of the patents protecting
Clopidogrel Clopidogrel — sold under the brand name Plavix, among others — is an antiplatelet medication used to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke in those at high risk. It is also used together with aspirin in heart attacks and following ...
(Plavix) which was one of the top-selling drugs in the world at the time and the major source of Sanofi's revenue.


Post-merger activities

In 2006, Iraqis infected with HIV sued Sanofi and Baxter due to HIV-
contaminated haemophilia blood products Contaminated hemophilia blood products were a serious public health problem in the late 1970s up to 1985. These products caused large numbers of hemophiliacs to become infected with HIV and hepatitis C. The companies involved included Alpha Thera ...
sold by Merieux in the 1980s. In 2006, the US patents on
clopidogrel Clopidogrel — sold under the brand name Plavix, among others — is an antiplatelet medication used to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke in those at high risk. It is also used together with aspirin in heart attacks and following ...
(Plavix) were challenged when a Canadian generics company,
Apotex Apotex Inc. is a Canadian pharmaceutical corporation. Founded in 1974 by Barry Sherman, the company is the largest producer of generic drugs in Canada, with annual sales exceeding . By 2016, Apotex employed over 10,000 people as one of Canada's l ...
, filed an
Abbreviated New Drug Application An Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) is an application for a U.S. generic drug approval for an existing licensed medication or approved drug. The ANDA is submitted to FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Generic Drugs, ...
under the
Hatch-Waxman Act The Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act (Public Law 98-417), informally known as the Hatch-Waxman Act, is a 1984 United States federal law that encourages the manufacture of generic drugs by the pharmaceutical industry and es ...
, received FDA approval, and started marketing a generic clopidogrel. While Sanofi-Aventis and its partner on the drug,
Bristol Myers Squibb The Bristol Myers Squibb Company (BMS) is an American multinational pharmaceutical company. Headquartered in New York City, BMS is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and consistently ranks on the ''Fortune'' 500 list of the lar ...
(BMS), were able to get an injunction to stop Apotex from selling the drug, the case became complicated when settlement negotiations fell apart twice – the second time due to an
oral agreement An oral contract is a contract, the terms of which have been agreed by spoken communication. This is in contrast to a written contract, where the contract is a written document. There may be written, or other physical evidence, of an oral contract ...
made by BMS CEO Peter Dolan that BMS failed to disclose to the Federal Trade Commission during the review of the settlement agreement to ensure that it did not violate
antitrust Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...
law. When Apotex disclosed the oral agreement to the FTC, the FTC launched an investigation that led to Dolan being fired by BMS. Apotex finally lost on the patent litigation issues after its third appeal was decided in favor of BMS/Sanofi in November 2011; Apotex had to pay ~$442 million in damages and ~$108 million in interest for infringing the patent, which it paid in full by February 2012. Apotex also sued BMS and Sanofi for $3.4 billion for allegedly breaching the settlement agreement, and Apotex lost a jury trial in March 2013. In 2007, Sanofi-Aventis expanded on Aventis' prior relationship with
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an American biotechnology company headquartered in Westchester County, New York. The company was founded in 1988. Originally focused on neurotrophic factors and their regenerative capabilities, giving rise to ...
; in the new deal Sanofi-Aventis agreed to pay Regeneron $100 million each year for five years, under which Regeneron would use its
monoclonal antibody A monoclonal antibody (mAb, more rarely called moAb) is an antibody produced from a cell Lineage made by cloning a unique white blood cell. All subsequent antibodies derived this way trace back to a unique parent cell. Monoclonal antibodies ...
discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discover ...
platform to create new
biopharmaceuticals A biopharmaceutical, also known as a biological medical product, or biologic, is any pharmaceutical drug product manufactured in, extracted from, or semisynthesized from biological sources. Different from totally synthesized pharmaceuticals, th ...
, which Sanofi-Aventis gained the exclusive right to co-develop. In 2009, the companies expanded the deal to $160 million per year and extended it through 2017.Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News. 11 November 200
Sanofi-Aventis Commits Over $2.8B to Regeneron in mAb Discovery Alliance
/ref> , the collaboration had four antibodies in clinical development and had filed an IND for a fifth. Two were against undisclosed targets, one targeted the
interleukin-6 Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is an interleukin that acts as both a pro-inflammatory cytokine and an anti-inflammatory myokine. In humans, it is encoded by the ''IL6'' gene. In addition, osteoblasts secrete IL-6 to stimulate osteoclast formation. Sm ...
receptor as a treatment for
rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects synovial joint, joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and ...
, another targeted
nerve growth factor Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a neurotrophic factor and neuropeptide primarily involved in the regulation of growth, maintenance, proliferation, and survival of certain target neurons. It is perhaps the prototypical growth factor, in that it was on ...
for the treatment of pain, and another targeted delta-like ligand 4 as a treatment of cancer. Between 2008, when
Chris Viehbacher Chris Viehbacher (born 1960) is a German-Canadian businessman. Sanofi He served as the Chief Executive Officer of Sanofi and Chairman of Genzyme until 29 October 2014. Viehbacher currently works with Gurnet Point Capital, a healthcare venture capit ...
was hired as CEO, and 2010, the company spent more than $17 billion in mergers and acquisitions to strengthen its consumer healthcare and generics platforms, especially in emerging markets, in the face of looming
patent cliff The term patent cliff refers to the phenomenon of patent expiration dates and an abrupt drop in sales that follows for a group of products capturing a high percentage of a market. Usually, these phenomena are noticed when they affect ''blockbuster p ...
s and the growth of the consumer healthcare segment. In September,
Zentiva Zentiva is a pharmaceutical company based in Prague, Czech Republic. The company is developing, manufacturing and marketing a wide range of generic and OTC products. Zentiva employs more than 4 700 people across Europe and has three manufacturin ...
was acquired for €1.8 billion, expanding the group's eastern European markets presence. In 2009, Medley Farma, the third largest pharmaceutical company in Brazil and a leading generics company in that country, was acquired for about $635 million.Leigh Kamping-Carder for Law360. 20 May 201
Brazil Clears Sanofi's $635M Medley Pharma Buy
/ref> Sanofi outbid
Teva Pharmaceuticals Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (also known as Teva Pharmaceuticals) is an Israeli multinational pharmaceutical company with headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel. It specializes primarily in generic drugs, but other business interests include ...
. The deal was approved by Brazil's antitrust authorities in May 2010. Later that year, Indian vaccine manufacturer
Shantha Biotechnics Shantha Biotechnics Limited is an Indian biotechnology company headquartered in Hyderabad, India. It is the first Indian company to develop, manufacture and market recombinant human healthcare products in India. The company is a wholly owned s ...
was acquired for $784 million. In October Sanofi-Aventis announced that it would lay off about 1,700 US employees (about 25% of its US workforce) due to restructuring triggered by growing generic competition and other factors, and that the company would focus its US operations on diabetes, atrial fibrillation and oncology. In 2010, U.S. consumer healthcare company Chattem, Inc. was acquired for around $1.9 billion. In the same year, Nepentes Pharma was acquired for $130 million and BMP Sunstone Corporation for $520.6 million.


Name change, acquisitions and investments

The company dropped the -Aventis suffix of its name on 6 May 2011, after receiving approval at its annual general meeting. The reason given by the company for the change was to make its name easier to pronounce in countries such as China. In 2011,
Genzyme Corporation Genzyme was an American biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since its acquisition in 2011, Genzyme (also known as Genzyme Transgenics Corp or GTC Biotherapeutics) has been a fully owned subsidiary of Sanofi. In 2010, Genzyme ...
was acquired for around $20.1 billion. This biotechnology company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts specializes in the treatment of
orphan diseases A rare disease is any disease that affects a small percentage of the population. In some parts of the world, an orphan disease is a rare disease whose rarity means there is a lack of a market large enough to gain support and resources for discove ...
, renal diseases, endocrinology, oncology and biosurgery. In January 2012, Sanofi co-invested in the $125 million Series A financing of Warp Drive Bio. Sanofi sought support for its internal cancer research program and also took on an obligation to acquire Warp Drive if certain milestones were met. In January 2014, Genzyme and
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an American biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics for genetically defined diseases. The company was founded in 2002 and is he ...
, a US biotechnology company developing
RNAi RNA interference (RNAi) is a biological process in which RNA molecules are involved in sequence-specific suppression of gene expression by double-stranded RNA, through translational or transcriptional repression. Historically, RNAi was known by o ...
therapeutics, announced that Genyzme would invest $700 million in Alnylam. Under the deal, Genzyme obtained further rights to patisiran, an RNAi treatment for
transthyretin Transthyretin (TTR or TBPA) is a transport protein in the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid that transports the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4) and retinol to the liver. This is how transthyretin gained its name: ''transports thyroxine and retin ...
-mediated
amyloidosis Amyloidosis is a group of diseases in which abnormal proteins, known as amyloid fibrils, build up in tissue. There are several non-specific and vague signs and symptoms associated with amyloidosis. These include fatigue, peripheral edema, weig ...
– a condition that can result in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy and familial amyloidotic cardiomyopathy - and obtained rights to other compounds in Alnylam's pipeline. In March 2014, Sanofi joined the bidding for Merck & Co.'s over-the-counter health-products unit, the maker of
Coppertone Coppertone is the brand name for an American sunscreen. Coppertone is headquartered in Whippany, New Jersey. Coppertone uses a variety of branding, including the Coppertone girl logo and a distinctive fragrance. Product line The original produ ...
sunblock and
Claritin Loratadine, sold under the brand name Claritin among others, is a medication used to treat allergies. This includes allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and hives. It is also available in combination with pseudoephedrine, a decongestant, known as ...
allergy medicine; bids were expected to range between $10 billion and $12 billion. In October 2014, Sanofi's directors fired US-resident chief executive
Chris Viehbacher Chris Viehbacher (born 1960) is a German-Canadian businessman. Sanofi He served as the Chief Executive Officer of Sanofi and Chairman of Genzyme until 29 October 2014. Viehbacher currently works with Gurnet Point Capital, a healthcare venture capit ...
, blaming his alleged lack of communication with the board and poor execution of his strategy. Board chairperson Serge Weinberg took over as interim CEO until 2 April 2015 when
Bayer Healthcare Bayer AG (, commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's areas of business include pharmaceutica ...
board chairperson
Olivier Brandicourt Olivier Brandicourt (born 13 February 1956) is a French business executive and physician, and the former chief executive officer of Sanofi. Career Olivier Brandicourt studied medicine in Paris and specialized in infectious diseases and tropica ...
(appointed by Sanofi on 19 February 2015) took over. Before Brandicourt even started his new job, French government ministers
Stéphane Le Foll Stéphane Le Foll (; born 3 February 1960) is a French politician serving as Mayor of Le Mans since 2018. A member of the Socialist Party, he was Minister of Agriculture under President François Hollande from 2012 to 2017. Biography Early pol ...
and
Ségolène Royal Marie-Ségolène Royal (; born 22 September 1953) is a French politician who was the Socialist Party candidate for the Presidency of France in the 2007 election. Royal was president of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council from 2004 to 201 ...
attacked the $4.5 million golden handshake he was getting from Sanofi – and his pay of about $4.7 million a year. Further, in 2014, the business took a 66% stake in Globalpharma, Dubai-based generics manufacturer. In July 2015,
Genzyme Genzyme was an American biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since its acquisition in 2011, Genzyme (also known as Genzyme Transgenics Corp or GTC Biotherapeutics) has been a fully owned subsidiary of Sanofi. In 2010, Genzyme ...
announced it would acquire the rare cancer drug Caprelsa (
vandetanib Vandetanib, sold under the brand name Caprelsa, is an anti-cancer medication that is used for the treatment of certain tumours of the thyroid gland. It acts as a kinase inhibitor of a number of cell receptors, mainly the vascular endothelial g ...
) from
AstraZeneca AstraZeneca plc () is a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with its headquarters at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge, England. It has a portfolio of products for major diseases in areas includ ...
for up to $300 million. In the same month in July 2015, the company announced a new global collaboration with
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an American biotechnology company headquartered in Westchester County, New York. The company was founded in 1988. Originally focused on neurotrophic factors and their regenerative capabilities, giving rise to ...
to discover, develop, and commercialise new immuno-oncology drugs, which could generate more than $2 billion for Regeneron, with $640 million upfront, $750 million for proof of concept data and $650 million from the development of
REGN2810 Cemiplimab, sold under the brand name Libtayo, is a monoclonal antibody medication for the treatment of squamous cell skin cancer. Cemiplimab belongs to a class of drugs that binds to the programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1), blocking the PD-1/PD- ...
. In June 2016, the company announced it had struck an asset-swap deal with
Boehringer Ingelheim C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. is the parent company of the Boehringer Ingelheim group, which was founded in 1885 by Albert Boehringer in Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany. As of 2018, Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical ...
. Sanofi would sell its
Merial Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health is a multinational animal health company, formed in January 2017 when Merial was acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim and merged with Boehringer Ingelheim's existing animal health assets. Overview In August 1997, ...
animal health division (valuing it at €11.4 billion), whilst acquiring Boehringer's consumer health division (valuing it at €6.7 billion) and €4.7 billion in cash. The deal means Sanofi is now one of the global consumer healthcare leaders by market share. In July 2017, the company announced its intention to acquire Protein Sciences, a privately held, Connecticut-based vaccines biotechnology company, for $650 million and with up to $100 million in milestone achievements. In January 2018, Sanofi announced that it would acquire
Bioverativ Bioverativ Inc. is an American multinational biotechnology company that specializes in the discovery, development, and delivery of therapies for the treatment of haemophilia. Bioverativ competes with Baxalta (acquired by Shire Plc in 2016), Pfi ...
for $11.6 billion and days later announced it would acquire
Ablynx Ablynx is a subsidiary of biopharmaceutical company Sanofi engaged in the discovery and development of nanobodies, based in Science Park Zwijnaarde, Ghent. History In November 2001, Ablynx was established as a spin-off of the Vlaams Instituut ...
for €3.9 billion ($4.8 billion). In December 2019, the company announced it would acquire Synthorx for $2.5 billion ($68 per share), adding the lead product candidate THOR-707 (SAR444245), a form of
interleukin-2 Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is an interleukin, a type of cytokine signaling molecule in the immune system. It is a 15.5–16  kDa protein that regulates the activities of white blood cells (leukocytes, often lymphocytes) that are responsible for ...
(IL-2) being developed for use against multiple solid tumours. In October 2022, Sanofi announced that it had stopped the ongoing Phase 2 tests of THOR-707 (SAR444245) because the drug’s efficacy “was lower than projected”. Sanofi would take a roughly $1.6 billion impairment charge because of delays to the program. In May 2020 Regeneron announced it would repurchase around $5 billion of its shares, held directly by Sanofi. Prior to the transaction Sanofi held 23.2 million Regeneron shares. In June, the company announced it had agreed a potential $2 billion deal with Translate Bio, expanding an already existing collaboration for COVID-19 treatments. The company agreed to produce 60 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine for the United Kingdom government in July 2020. It uses recombinant protein-based technology for Sanofi's flu vaccine along with GSK's pandemic technology and was seeking regulatory approval by the first half of 2021. Sanofi also agreed to a $2.1 billion deal with the United States for 100 million doses. In August, Sanofi announced it would acquire
Principia Biopharma Principia may refer to: * '' Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica'', Isaac Newton's three-volume work about his laws of motion and universal gravitation * Principia ( "primary buildings"), the headquarters at the center of Roman forts ( l ...
for $3.7 billion, acquiring its
BTK inhibitor Bruton's tyrosine kinase (abbreviated Btk or BTK), also known as tyrosine-protein kinase BTK, is a tyrosine kinase that is encoded by the ''BTK'' gene in humans. BTK plays a crucial role in B cell development. Structure BTK contains five differ ...
programme. The acquisition was completed in September 2020. In November, Sanofi announced it would acquire Kiadis Pharma for €308 million (around $359 million, or €5.45 per share) expanding its immuno-oncology pipeline with the acquisition of Kiadis' three clinical compounds: K-NK002 in Phase II trials for
hematopoietic stem cell Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are the stem cells that give rise to other blood cells. This process is called haematopoiesis. In vertebrates, the very first definitive HSCs arise from the ventral endothelial wall of the embryonic aorta withi ...
transplants in blood cancer, K-NK003 for relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia and K-NK-ID101 for COVID-19. In January 2021, Sanofi announced it would buy the British biotech, Kymab Ltd and its potential first-in-class drug candidate – KY1005 –- for $1.45 billion. In April, the business announced it would acquire Tidal Therapeutics for up to $470m. in August the company announced it would acquire Translate Bio and its mRNA vaccine technology for $3.2 billion. On 8 September, Sanofi announced it will acquire US biotech company Kadmon Corporation for $1.9 billion On 18 November, it was reported that Sanofi would be investing $180 million in French startup Owkin, whose predictive algorithms aim to improve the research and development of new cures against cancer. In December, the company announced it would acquire Origimm Biotechnology GmbH and its acne vaccine candidate (ORI-001), as well as Amunix Pharmaceuticals for an initial $1 billion, plus potentially $200 million in additional milestones. In April 2022, Sanofi broke ground on its biggest industrial investment, a $638m vaccine and enzymes production facility in Tuas, Singapore, targeted for completion in 2025.


Company financials

Note. In 2001—2004 – Sanofi-Synthélabo, in 2004—2011 – Sanofi-Aventis.


Acquisition history

*Sanofi **Sanofi–Aventis ***Aventis (Merged 2004) ****
Rhône-Poulenc Rhône-Poulenc () was a French chemical and pharmaceutical company founded in 1928. In 1999 it merged with Hoechst AG to form Aventis. As of 2015, the pharmaceutical operations of Rhône-Poulenc are part of Sanofi and the chemicals divisions a ...
(Merged 1999) *****Rorer *****Centeon *****Pasteur Merieux *****Rhône-Poulenc Agro *****Rhône-Poulenc Animal Nutrition *****Merial (Sold to
Boehringer Ingelheim C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. is the parent company of the Boehringer Ingelheim group, which was founded in 1885 by Albert Boehringer in Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany. As of 2018, Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical ...
2016)
***** Rhodia ****
Hoechst Marion Roussel Hoechst AG () was a German chemicals then life-sciences company that became Aventis Deutschland after its merger with France's Rhône-Poulenc S.A. in 1999. With the new company's 2004 merger with Sanofi-Synthélabo, it became a subsidiary of the ...
(Merged 1999) *****
AgrEvo Plant Genetic Systems (PGS), since 2002 part of Bayer CropScience, is a biotech company located in Ghent, Belgium. The focus of its activities is the genetic engineering of plants. The company is best known for its work in the development of inse ...
*****HR Vet ***** Dade Behring *****Centeon *****
Celanese Celanese Corporation, formerly known as Hoechst Celanese, is an American technology and specialty materials company headquartered in Irving, Texas. A Fortune 500 corporation, the company is the world’s leading producer of acetic acid, produci ...
*****Messer ***Sanofi-Synthélabo (Merged 2004) ****Sanofi (Est 1973 as subsidiary of
Elf Aquitaine Elf Aquitaine is a French brand of oils and other motor products (such as brake fluids) for automobiles and trucks. Elf is a former petroleum company which merged with TotalFina to form "TotalFinaElf". The new company changed its name to Total i ...
)
*****Midy *****Sterling Winthrop (Acq 1994) ****Synthélabo *****Laboratoires Dausse (Founded 1834, merged 1970) *****Robert & Carrière (Founded 1899, merged 1970) ***
Zentiva Zentiva is a pharmaceutical company based in Prague, Czech Republic. The company is developing, manufacturing and marketing a wide range of generic and OTC products. Zentiva employs more than 4 700 people across Europe and has three manufacturin ...
(Acq 2008) ****Leciva Slovakofarma (Acq 2003) ****Sicomed SA Bucharest (Acq 2005) ***Medley Farma (Acq 2009) ***Shantha Biotechnics (Acq 2009) ***Chattem (Acq 2010) ***Nepentes Pharma (Acq 2010) ***BMP Sunstone Corporation (Acq 2010) **
Genzyme Corporation Genzyme was an American biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since its acquisition in 2011, Genzyme (also known as Genzyme Transgenics Corp or GTC Biotherapeutics) has been a fully owned subsidiary of Sanofi. In 2010, Genzyme ...
(Acq 2011) ***Whatman Biochemicals Ltd (Acq 1981) ***Koch-Light Laboratories (Acq 1982) ***Integrated Genetics (Acq 1989, spun off 1991) ***Genecore International (Diagnostic enzyme div, acq 1991) ***Medix Biotech, Inc. (Acq 1992) ***Enzymatix Ltd (Acq 1992) ***Vivigen (Acq 1992) ***Virotech (Acq 1993) ***Omni Res srl (Acq 1993) ***Sygena Ltd (Acq 1994) ***BioSurface Technology Inc. (Acq 1994) ***TSI Inc. (Acq 1994) ***PharmaGenics, Inc. (Acq 1997) ***Biomatrix (Acq 2000) ***SangStat Medical Corp. (Acq 2003) ***Ilex Oncology Inc. (Acq 2004) ***Bone Care International Inc. (Acq 2005) ***AnorMED Inc. (Acq 2006) ***Bioenvision (Acq 2007) **Protein Sciences (Acq 2017) **
Bioverativ Bioverativ Inc. is an American multinational biotechnology company that specializes in the discovery, development, and delivery of therapies for the treatment of haemophilia. Bioverativ competes with Baxalta (acquired by Shire Plc in 2016), Pfi ...
(Acq 2018) ***True North Therapeutics (Acq 2017) **
Ablynx Ablynx is a subsidiary of biopharmaceutical company Sanofi engaged in the discovery and development of nanobodies, based in Science Park Zwijnaarde, Ghent. History In November 2001, Ablynx was established as a spin-off of the Vlaams Instituut ...
(Acq 2018) **Synthorx (Acq 2019) **Principia Biopharma (Acq 2020) **Kiadis Pharma (Acq 2020) **Kymab Ltd (Acq 2021) **Tidal Therapeutics (Acq 2021) **Translate Bio (Acq 2021) **Kadmon Corporation (Acq 2021) **Origimm Biotechnology GmbH (Acq 2021) **Amunix Pharmaceuticals (Acq 2021)


Products

The following products are found on the Sanofi Genzyme website. Generic drug names are given in parentheses following the brand name. – Autoimmune * Aubagio (Teriflunomide), small molecule for multiple sclerosis. Approved by the FDA in September 2012. * Auvi-Q (Epinephrine autoinjector), licensed from Intelliject and approved by the FDA in 2012, for emergency treatment of life-threatening allergic reactions. Product recall and effects: The Epinephrine auto-injection devices made by Sanofi SA currently on the market in the U.S. and Canada were voluntarily recalled on 28 October 2015. The reason stated by Sanofi was that the products have been found to potentially have inaccurate dosage delivery, which may include failure to deliver drug. Sanofi US also added the following warning: If a patient experiencing a serious allergic reaction (i.e., anaphylaxis) did not receive the intended dose, there could be significant health consequences, including death because anaphylaxis is a potentially life‑threatening condition. In its news release on 28 October 2015, Sanofi Canada stated that it was "actively working with suppliers of alternative epinephrine auto-injectors to have a full stock available in Canada as soon as possible. Canadian customers were asked to immediately return the Allerject product to their local pharmacy to obtain an alternate epinephrine auto-injector." The U.S.
Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...
(FDA) also filed a news release confirming that the recall involves all Auvi-Q currently on the market in the U.S. The FDA release went on to provide information for consumers re: exchanging the device for another brand of product, also provided on the Auvi-Q web site. Sanofi US will provide reimbursement for out of pocket costs incurred for the purchase of new, alternate epinephrine auto-injectors with proof of purchase. The alternate products expected to most commonly replace the recalled Sanofi devices are the EpiPens made by Mylan in the US and by Pfizer—under license from Mylan—in Canada. Mylan already had an 85% market share of the auto-injectors in the US in the first half of 2015. Maylan was expected to benefit from the recall by its competitor Sanofi, according to a report published in the Fierce Pharma newsletter of 2 November 2015: "....it is very hard to see Auvi-Q returning to the market, as it will need to be redesigned and face uphill battle to recapture patient trust after the recall," Bernstein analyst Ronny Gal wrote in a note to clients. Gal also believes that the company will eventually have 95% of the Epinephrine auto-injector market, according to another Fierce Pharma report on 3 November 2015. – Cardiovascular * Adenoscan (Adenosine), for arrhythmias, marketed by Astellas. * Altace (Ramipril), for hypertension, marketed by Pfizer. * Arixtra (Fondaparinux), for thrombosis, marketed by GlaxoSmithKline and now owned by Mylan. * Avalide (Irbesartan), for hypertension, marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb. * Avapro (Irbesartan), for hypertension, marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb. * Cardizem (Diltiazem), for hypertension, Now owned by Bausch Health. * Cholestagel (Colesevelam), for low-calorie diet and exercise. * Cordarone (Amiodarone), for heart rhythm problems. * Iprivask (Desirudin), for atherothrombosis, Now owned by Bausch Health. * Kynamro (Mipomersen), an antisense drug invented by Isis Pharmaceuticals and acquired by Genzyme in 2008, (pre-Sanofi) and approved by the FDA in 2013, for the orphan disease Familial hypercholesterolemia, homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. * Lasix (Furosemide), for edema. * Lovenox (Enoxaparin), for thrombosis, (its biggest seller in 2008). * Multaq (Dronedarone), for cardiac arrhythmias. * Nitrolingual (Nitroglycerin), for chest pain and angina, marketed by G. Pohl-Boskamp GmbH & Co. * Plavix (
Clopidogrel Clopidogrel — sold under the brand name Plavix, among others — is an antiplatelet medication used to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke in those at high risk. It is also used together with aspirin in heart attacks and following ...
), for atherothrombosis, marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb. * Praluent (Alirocumab), for heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia and clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, marketed by Regeneron. * Ranexa (Ranolazine), for stable angina, marketed by Gilead Sciences. – Dermatology * Dupixent (Dupilumab), for eczema, marketed by Regeneron. * Dynabac (Dirithromycin), for acute bacteria exacerbations. * Sklice (Ivermectin), for head lice, now owned by Arbor Pharmaceuticals. – Diabetes * Adlyxin (Lixisenatide), for type 2 diabetes mellitus. * Admelog (insulin lispro), for type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. * Afrezza (Inhalable insulin), for type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. * Amaryl (Glimepiride), for type 2 diabetes mellitus. * Apidra (insulin glulisine), for type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. * Diabeta (Glyburide), for type 2 diabetes mellitus. * Glucophage (Metformin), for type 2 diabetes mellitus, marketed by EMD Serono. * Insuman (insulin, Human insulin), for type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. * Lantus (insulin glargine), for type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. * Soliqua (insulin glargine/lixisenatide), for type 2 diabetes mellitus. * Toujeo (insulin glargine), for Diabetes mellitus#Type 1 diabetes, type 1 and Diabetes mellitus#Type 2 diabetes, type 2 diabetes mellitus. – Endocrinology * Adlyxin (Lixisenatide), for type 2 diabetes mellitus. * Admelog (insulin lispro), for type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. * Afrezza (Inhalable insulin), for type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. * Amaryl (Glimepiride), for type 2 diabetes mellitus. * Apidra (insulin glulisine), for type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. * Cholestagel (Colesevelam), for low-calorie diet and exercise. * Diabeta (Glyburide), for type 2 diabetes mellitus. * Glucophage (Metformin), for type 2 diabetes mellitus, marketed by EMD Serono. * Hectorol (Doxercalciferol), for parathyroid hormone. * Insuman (insulin, Human insulin), for type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. * Lantus (insulin glargine), for type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. * Skelid (Tiludronic acid), for Paget's disease of bone. * Soliqua (insulin glargine/lixisenatide), for type 2 diabetes mellitus. * Toujeo (insulin glargine), for Diabetes mellitus#Type 1 diabetes, type 1 and Diabetes mellitus#Type 2 diabetes, type 2 diabetes mellitus. – Gastroenterology * Lanzor (Lansoprazole), for acid reflux disease. * Seprafilm (Adhesion barrier), for internal adhesions. * Zaltrap (Aflibercept), Recombinant DNA, recombinant fusion protein, approved in metastatic colorectal cancer in combination with other agents in 2012, marketed by Regeneron. – Hematology * Alprolix (Factor IX), for hemophilia B. * Arixtra (Fondaparinux), for thrombosis, marketed by GlaxoSmithKline and now owned by Mylan. * Cablivi (Caplacizumab), for thrombosis. * Campath (Alemtuzumab), for multiple sclerosis. * Clolar (Clofarabine), for leukemia. * Eloctate (Factor VIII), for hemophilia A. * Ferrlecit (Sodium ferric gluconate complex), for iron deficiency anemia. * Fludara (Fludarabine), for leukemia. * Mozobil (Plerixafor), for macrocycle, approved by the Food and Drug Administration, FDA for peripheral blood stem cell mobilizer for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and multiple myeloma in December 2008. * Oforta (Fludarabine), for leukemia. * Thymoglobulin, for hemophilia A. * Zemaira (Alpha-1 antitrypsin), for chronic augmentation, Now owned by CSL Behring. – Infectious diseases * Antibiotics: * Amoklavin (Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid) * Claforan (Cefotaxime) * Priftin (Rifapentine) * Suprax (Cefixime) * Tavanic (Levofloxacin) * Vaccines: **Bacterial diseases: * ActHIB (Hib vaccine) * Adacel (vaccine), Adacel (DPT vaccine) * Daptacel (DPT vaccine) * Dengvaxia (Dengue vaccine) * Menactra (Meningococcal vaccine, Meningococcal infections) * Mycobax (Tuberculosis vaccine) * Pentacel (DTaP-IPV/Hib vaccine) * Pneumo 23 (Pneumococcal vaccine, Pneumococcal infections) * Quadracel (DTaP-IPV/Hib vaccine) * Shanchol (Cholera vaccine) * Synercid (Quinupristin/dalfopristin), marketed by Pfizer. * Tenivac (Tetanus vaccine) * Tripedia (DPT vaccine), discontinued in 2012. * Tubersol (Tuberculosis vaccine) * Typhim Vi (Typhoid fever) * Vaccin Tetanique Pasteur (Tetanus vaccine) **Viral diseases: * ACAM 2000 (Smallpox vaccine), eradicated in 1980 (vaccine produced as a measure in response to the threat of bioterrorism). * Avaxim (Hepatitis A vaccine) * Flublok (Influenza vaccine) * Fluzone (Influenza vaccine) * Hbvaxpro (Hepatitis B vaccine) * Imovax Polio (Polio vaccine) * Imovax Rabies (Rabies vaccine) * Ipol (Polio vaccine) * Ixiaro (Japanese encephalitis) * M-M-RVaxPro (MMR vaccine) * Rouvax (Measles vaccine) * Rudivax (Rubella vaccine) * Stamaril (Yellow fever vaccine) * Vaxigrip (Influenza vaccine) * YF-VAX (Yellow fever vaccine) – Metabolic * Actonel (Risedronic acid), for osteoporosis and Paget's disease of bone, Paget's disease, now owned by Allergan. * Renagel (Sevelamer) hydrochloride, for Chronic kidney disease, end stage renal disease. * Renvela (Sevelamer) hydrochloride, for Chronic kidney disease, end stage renal disease. – Neurology * Ambien (Zolpidem), for insomnia. * Ambien CR (Zolpidem), for insomnia. * Aubagio (Teriflunomide), for multiple sclerosis. * Depakine (Valproic acid), for epilepsy, now owned by AbbVie. * Depakote (Valproate semisodium), for epilepsy, now owned by AbbVie. * Hyalgan (Sodium hyaluronate), for blood tests. * Lemtrada (Alemtuzumab), for multiple sclerosis. * Pediapred (Prednisolone), for multiple sclerosis. * Rilutek (Riluzole), for ALS. * Sabril (Vigabatrin), for epilepsy, marketed by Lundbeck. – Oncology * Anzemet (Dolasetron), for nausea and vomiting. * Campath (Alemtuzumab), for multiple sclerosis. * Caprelsa (Vandetanib), for breast, colorectal cancer and female infertility. * Clolar (Clofarabine), for leukemia. * Clomid (Clomifene), for female infertility. * Dupixent (Dupilumab), for eczema, marketed by Regeneron. * Eligard (Leuprorelin), for prostate cancer, marketed by Astellas. * Elitek (Rasburicase), for the treatment to help stop uric acid. * Eloxatin (Oxaliplatin), for colorectal cancer. * Fludara (Fludarabine), for leukemia. * Gliadel Wafer (Carmustine), for cancer, now owned by Arbor Pharmaceuticals. * Jevtana (Cabazitaxel), for prostate cancer. * Kevzara (Sarilumab), for blood tests, lung cancer, lung and prostate cancer, marketed by Regeneron. * Libtayo (Cemiplimab), for squamous cell skin cancer, marketed by Regeneron. * Mozobil (Plerixafor), macrocycle, approved by the Food and Drug Administration, FDA for peripheral blood stem cell mobilizer for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and multiple myeloma in December 2008. * Oforta (Fludarabine), for leukemia. * Taxotere (Docetaxel), for breast cancer, breast, lung cancer, lung and prostate cancer. * Uroxatral (Alfuzosin), for benign prostatic hyperplasia. * Zaltrap (Aflibercept), Recombinant DNA, recombinant fusion protein, approved in metastatic colorectal cancer in combination with other agents in 2012, marketed by Regeneron. – Other * Aldurazyme (Laronidase), for hurler syndrome. * Aplenzin (Bupropion), for depression and quit smoking. * Captique (Dermal filler), for facial wrinkles. * Carticel (Knee cartilage replacement therapy), for knee pain. * Cerdelga (Eliglustat), for type 1 gaucher disease. * Ceredase (Alglucerase), for Gaucher's disease. * Cerezyme (Imiglucerase), for Gaucher's disease. * Elaprase (Idursulfase), marketed by Shire. * Epicel (cultured epidermal autografts), for thickness burns. * Fabrazyme (Agalsidase), for Fabry disease. * Flagyl (Metronidazole), for vaginal infections, marketed by Pfizer. * Hylaform Plus (Injectable filler), for facial wrinkles. * Lumizyme (Alglucosidase alfa), for Pompe disease. * Myozyme (Alglucosidase alfa), for Pompe disease. * Sculptra (Polylactic acid), for facial fat loss. * Thyrogen (Thyroid-stimulating hormone), for thyroid cancer. – Over the counter * Allegra (Fexofenadine), for allergic rhinitis. * Buscopan (Hyoscine butylbromide), for abdominal pain. * Maalox (Calcium carbonate#Health and dietary applications, Calcium carbonate), an antacid. * Nasacort (Triamcinolone), for allergic rhinitis. * Novaldol (Paracetamol), for pain and fever. * Unisom (Doxylamine), for night-time allergy and cold relief. * Xyzal (Levocetirizine), for allergic rhinitis, marketed by UCB. * Telfast for Seasonal Allergy Relief * Enterogermina Medicine for Diarrhea – Pain * Bi-profined (Ketoprofen), for pain. * Solpadol (Codeine), for chronic pain. – Respiratory and inflammatory diseases * Atrovent (Ipratropium bromide), for asthma, marketed by Boehringer Ingelheim. * Azmacort (Triamcinolone), for asthma. * Dynabac (Dirithromycin), for acute bacterial exacerbations. * Ketek (Telithromycin), for community acquired pneumonia. * Priftin (Rifapentine), for tuberculosis. * Rifadin (Rifampin), for tuberculosis. * Rifamate (Isoniazid/rifampicin), for tuberculosis. * Rifater (Rifampicin/isoniazid/pyrazinamide), for tuberculosis. * Tilade (Nedocromil), for asthma. * Zagam (Sparfloxacin), for chronic bronchitis. * Zemaira (Alpha-1 antitrypsin), for chronic augmentation, now owned by CSL Behring. * Mucosolvan Medicine for Cough – Rheumatology * Arava (Leflunomide), for rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis. * Kevzara (Sarilumab), for blood tests, lung cancer, lung and prostate cancer, marketed by Regeneron. * Primaquine (Primaquine), for malaria. * Synvisc (Hyaluronic acid), for knee pain. – Urology * Ditropan XL (Oxybutynin chloride), for bladder relief, marketed by Janssen. * Eligard (Leuprorelin), for prostate cancer, marketed by Astellas. * Flomax (Tamsulosin), for bladder relief, marketed by Astellas. The company also produces a broad range of over-the-counter products, among them Fexofenadine, Allegra, IcyHot for muscle pain, Gold Bond medicated powder, Gold Bond for skin irritation, and Selsun Blue dandruff shampoo. These brands were acquired in 2010, when Sanofi-Aventis purchased Chattem.


Pipeline

, Sanofi was in a race with Amgen and Pfizer to win approval for a PCSK9 inhibitor, drug that inhibits PCSK9, a protein that slows the clearance of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol – the form of cholesterol that leads to heart attacks. Sanofi's drug was discovered by
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an American biotechnology company headquartered in Westchester County, New York. The company was founded in 1988. Originally focused on neurotrophic factors and their regenerative capabilities, giving rise to ...
and is called alirocumab. An FDA warning in March 2014, about possible cognitive adverse effects of PCSK9 inhibition threw the competition into disarray, as the FDA asked companies to include neurocognitive testing into their Phase III clinical trials. In 2013, Sanofi announced that another candidate from its collaboration with Regeneron, the monoclonal antibody against the interleukin 6 receptor, sarilumab, had better efficacy than placebo in its first Phase III trial for rheumatoid arthritis.


Management

* Serge Weinberg, chairman of the board, chairman * Paul Hudson (businessman), Paul Hudson, CEO, chief executive officer * Jean-François Dehecq was the general manager of Sanofi from its creation in 1973 until 2007. * Jean-Baptiste Chasseloup de Chatillon, Chief financial officer, CFO


Stockholders

As of 31 December 2013: * Breakdown of share ownership: 8.93% by
L'Oréal L'Oréal S.A. () is a French personal care company headquartered in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine with a registered office in Paris. It is the world's largest cosmetics company and has developed activities in the field concentrating on hair color, s ...
, 0.27% treasury shares and 1.31% stock option, employees. The remaining 89.49% were publicly traded.


Head office

In January 2012, Sanofi moved its head office location to 54, Rue La Boétie in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. This former mansion designed by architect René-Patouillard had previously been the head office of Alcatel-Lucent. Sanofi's previous head office was located in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, 174 Avenue de France. The architecture of the head office is of the predominant style of the area surrounding the François Mitterrand Library. After Sanofi and Aventis merged, the employees at the former Aventis head office in
Schiltigheim Schiltigheim (, , and sometimes by non-local speakers of French; Alsatian: ''Schelige'' ; ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The inhabitants are called ''Schilikois'' in French and ''Scheligemer' ...
, Alsace, moved to Paris. In November 2022, Sanofi moved into its new global headquarters in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, at 46-48 Avenue de la Grande Armée.


Collaborative research

In addition to internal research and development activities Sanofi is also involved in publicly funded collaborative research projects, with other industrial and academic partners. One example in the area of Pre-clinical development, non-clinical safety assessment is the Innovative Medicines Initiative, InnoMed PredTox project The company is expanding its activities in joint research projects within the framework of the Innovative Medicines Initiative of EFPIA and the European Commission. In June 2010, Sanofi and the Charité, Charité University of Berlin signed a cooperation agreement for the research and development of medicines and therapies. On 25 October 2012, Sanofi said its earnings for the third quarter slumped as generic competitors ate into profits of its Eloxatin cancer treatment.


Sanofi Pasteur

In 2005,
Sanofi Pasteur Sanofi Pasteur is the vaccines division of the French multinational pharmaceutical company Sanofi. Sanofi Pasteur is the largest company in the world devoted entirely to vaccines. It is one of four global producers of the yellow fever vaccin ...
, vaccines division of Sanofi Group, was awarded a $97 Million United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) contract.


BCG supply shortage 2012-

In 2011, a Sanofi Pasteur plant flooded, causing it problems with mold. The facility, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, produced BCG vaccine products, made with the Glaxo 1077 strain, such as a tuberculosis vaccine ImmuCYST, a BCG Immunotherapeutic -a bladder cancer drug. By April 2012, the FDA had found dozens of documented problems with sterility at the plant including mold, nesting birds and rusted electrical conduits. The resulting closure of the plant for over two years resulting in shortages of bladder cancer and tuberculosis vaccines. The Toronto Sanofi plant On 29 October 2014 Health Canada gave the permission for Sanofi to resume production of BCG.


COVID-19 vaccine

Sanofi together with GSK signed a deal with US government's Operation Warp Speed to provide 100 million doses COVID-19 vaccine for up to US$2.1 billion, if the vaccine is approved. As of August 2020, COVID-19 vaccine development in Sanofi underscores its fundamental competitiveness weakness, that management has been struggling and failed to deal with for past many years beyond cutting more cost. Unfortunately, even though Sanofi-GSK approach is based on pre-existing, approved platform and technology (as with Flublok flu) without reinventing the wheel of the necessary infrastructure, the company lagged behind many other rivals in delivering a working vaccine. Sanofi planned to start Phase 1 clinical testing only in September and expected emergency use approval in the first half of 2021. Competitors such as Novavax had already completed Phase 1 with promising results and Moderna-NIH had already initiated its Phase 3 trial. According to CNBC reports, as part of the 2.1 billion US government deal, more than 750 million goes to supporting Sanofi-GSK in vaccine development and clinical trials. Sanofi turns out "accelerate" the development via smaller biotech firm Translate Bio, with a 425 million partnership. At the end of September 2021, Sanofi announced it would stop developing its mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Despite promising results the drug would not continue to Phase 3 trials, with the company stating that it would be 'too late to reach the market.'


Associations

Sanofi is a full member of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). Sanofi's vaccine subsidiary,
Sanofi Pasteur Sanofi Pasteur is the vaccines division of the French multinational pharmaceutical company Sanofi. Sanofi Pasteur is the largest company in the world devoted entirely to vaccines. It is one of four global producers of the yellow fever vaccin ...
, is a member of EuropaBio. In June 2021, Sanofi partners with Capgemini, Orange S.A., Orange & Generali Italia, Generali to launch Future4care, an all-European start-up accelerator centered on digital health.


Aventis Foundation

The Aventis Foundation, a Germany, German charitable trust, was established in 1996, as the Hoechst Foundation with an Financial endowment, endowment of €50 million. In 2000, the foundation was renamed the Aventis Foundation. The foundation promotes cultural and scientific projects, specifically focused on the Frankfurt Rhine-Main area.


See also

*Sanofi Biogenius Canada


Notes


References


External links

* {{Authority control, state=expanded Sanofi, Biotechnology companies of France CAC 40 Companies in the Euro Stoxx 50 Companies listed on Euronext Paris French brands French companies established in 1973 Healthcare companies of France Health care companies established in 1973 Multinational companies headquartered in France Orphan drug companies Pharmaceutical companies established in 1973 Pharmaceutical companies of France