The pharmaceutical trend toward increasing concentration appears to be gaining momentum. On September 15, Novartis shareholders approved the company’s proposed spinoff of Sandoz, the generics and biosimilars unit. The company anticipates the deal to close in early October. Similarly, Sanofi is also taking a scalpel to its operations, offloading a selection of its central nervous…

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of severe lower respiratory tract infections like pneumonia and bronchiolitis in infants and young children. Traditionally there have been no approved treatments for RSV infections, with care being largely supportive. But the landscape is quickly changing. The FDA recently approved Beyfortus (nirsevimab), the first immunoprophylactic to prevent…

Despite a temporary slowdown during the early days of the pandemic, the pharma sector has witnessed a steady rise in M&A activity over the years. The number of deals climbed from 23 in 2018 to 43 in 2022. Major players driving this trend include Sanofi, Merck & Co. and Novartis. Those three players have made…

Unveiling Sanofi’s AI-powered pharma strategy, the French pharma giant announced its plans to tap AI for insights across the company. With “plai,” an internal app, AI could provide real-time data supporting decision-making. Sanofi’s goal, as CEO Paul Hudson stated in a news release, is to become the first pharma company powered by AI at scale,…

The pharmaceutical and biotech industries have experienced a surge of high-profile acquisitions and mergers in the first few months of the year, marking a notable trend in pharma M&A 2023. From Merck’s $11 billion acquisition of Prometheus Biosciences to Pfizer’s $43 billion purchase of Seagen, these deals highlight a focus on strengthening core assets and…

The state of California has established a $50 million collaboration over a decade with the generic drug manufacturer Civica. The goal of the collaboration is to create affordable state-branded generic insulin. Qualified individuals may obtain a 10-mL vial of generic insulin for $30 or less. California plans to provide a pack containing five prefilled 3…

Paris-based Sanofi (Nasdaq:SNY) is the fastest company to reduce insulin prices. The pharmaceutical behemoth said it would cut  the list price of Lantus (insulin glargine injection) by 78%. Lantus is its most commonly prescribed insulin in the U.S. Moreover, Sanofi will implement a $35 cap on out-of-pocket expenses for users of the insulin. Sanofi has also…

Sanofi announced that it agreed to acquire Provention Bio, which develops therapeutics for immune-mediated diseases, for approximately $2.9 billion. Paris, France-based Sanofi agreed to acquire Provention Bio for $25 per share in cash. If the companies complete the acquisition, Sanofi expects a wholly-owned subsidiary to merge with and into Provention Bio. It intends to fund…

Sanofi (Euronext:SAN and Nasdaq:SNY) has announced that it has moved into its new international headquarters to Paris’s 17th arrondissement neighborhood, which is located on the right bank of the Seine River.   The news headquarters, situated at 46-48 Avenue de la Grande Armée, was designed to promote novel ways to collaborate.  Measuring 9,000 m² in area,…

Digital transformation has been a buzzword among enterprise companies and business consultants for the past roughly five years. Conservative industries such as the pharmaceutical sector, however, have had a broadly tentative attitude toward transformation. The situation began to change during the pandemic, however. Now, Sanofi (Nasdaq:SNY) has launched an AI-focused digital accelerator focused on developing…