Sanofi boosts French biomanufacturing with €1 billion investment

PARIS – Sanofi (NASDAQ:), a global biopharmaceutical company, announced today a significant investment of over €1 billion to expand its biomanufacturing capabilities in France. This initiative is set to create more than 500 new jobs and enhance the nation’s capacity to produce essential medicines.

The investment will bolster production at three of Sanofi’s French sites: Vitry-sur-Seine, Le Trait, and Lyon Gerland. In Vitry-sur-Seine, the company plans to invest €1 billion to construct a facility that will double the site’s capacity for monoclonal antibody production. This expansion is expected to support the production of treatments for chronic conditions such as COPD, asthma, multiple sclerosis, and type 1 diabetes, potentially serving millions of patients globally. The investment is projected to create 350 jobs.

At Le Trait, Sanofi will invest €100 million to develop capacities for biologics formulation, filling, device assembly, and packaging, which is anticipated to support the launch of new biologics and vaccines. This site will also aid in the growth of Dupixent®, a treatment for various inflammatory diseases. The investment at Le Trait will contribute to the creation of 150 jobs.

In Lyon Gerland, the company is investing €10 million to transfer the production of TZield®, a treatment for type 1 diabetes, to France. This move aims to localize the production of the biologic, which Sanofi acquired in April 2023 and was previously manufactured outside Europe.

According to Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson (NYSE:), these investments are part of Sanofi’s ongoing commitment to France, aligning with its strategy to produce future medicines and make them available to patients worldwide. Hudson highlighted the company’s transformation since 2020, which has led to a record number of medicines and vaccines in development.

Sanofi’s industrial footprint in the European Union accounts for over 60% of its global production, with only 5% of its active ingredients sourced from Asia. This strategic positioning contributed to a trade balance surplus of more than €13 billion for France in 2023.

The new investments complement other significant projects initiated by Sanofi since the Covid-19 pandemic, aimed at building new drugs and vaccines production capacity in France. These projects include a nearly €500 million investment in Neuville-sur-Saône for an evolutive facility for biological drugs and vaccines, and a €250 million investment in Val de Reuil for Europe’s largest flu vaccine production unit.

Sanofi’s President of France, Audrey Derveloy, emphasized the company’s historical commitment to equipping France with strategic platforms for essential medicine and vaccine production. These efforts are in line with Sanofi’s “Play to Win” strategy, which focuses on becoming a world leader in immunology.

This article is based on a press release statement.

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