Sanofi Invests In Dengue Vaccines

Sanofi-Aventis continues to invest heavily to bolster its vaccine capabilities and diversify its business line. The company plans to spend about $475 million to build a new vaccine manufacturing center in Neuville-sur-Saône, France, near Lyon, bringing its total investment in vaccine production in France to nearly $1.4 billion—all since 2005. The new plant, expected to create 200 jobs when it opens in 2013, will produce 100 million doses of a dengue fever vaccine that is currently in Phase II trials. The move comes as Sanofi shores up its overall business strategy in anticipation of generic drug competition for two key products, Plavix and Lovenox, in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Sanofi is taking a tack similar to many of its big pharma competitors: plowing further into emerging markets, vaccines, and generic drugs. Earlier this month, the company said it was pruning 14 drug candidates—mostly small molecules in late-stage development—from its pipeline. It then announced plans to sink more than $250 million into a monoclonal antibody production plant in Vitry-sur-Seine, France.