Sanofi Revamps R&D

Pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Aventis is rearranging its R&D infrastructure, particularly in its home country of France. Research head Marc Cluzel says the company wants to take a more entrepreneurial approach to research and increase its use of outside partners. Although the moves won’t involve outright layoffs, Sanofi says, about 300 people will be affected when sites in Bagneux, Rueil-Malmaison, and Evry, France, are closed and operations move to Chilly-Mazarin. Sanofi says it may divest its Porcheville site, where about 200 people are employed. And some sites in the U.S., U.K., Spain, and Japan will be sold or repurposed.