Sanofi has unveiled a major reorganisation of its business, creating a new global primary care business and a China and emerging markets division as it looks to emerge from a slump in growth and profits.
The revamp involves Sanofi swapping top executives with its German rival Bayer – its current head of diabetes and cardiovascular franchise Stefan Oelrich is to become head of Bayer’s pharma division.
Dieter Weinand (left) leaves Bayer for Sanofi, while Stefan Oelrich leaves to take his place
He is replacing Dieter Weinand, who moves to become head of Sanofi’s new Primary Care global business unit (GBU), which will combine Sanofi’s existing Diabetes and Cardiovascular (DCV) GBU with Established Products, which are currently part of the General Medicines & Emerging Markets (GEM) division.
This new primary care unit will focus exclusively on mature markets, making space for the new China and Emerging Markets division, reflecting an industry-wide shift as China’s reforms open up new possibilities.
This unit will be headed up by Olivier Charmeil, currently head of the GEM division.
Dieter Weinand joins Sanofi on 1 November, and will be based in the US in Bridgewater, New Jersey, where he had earlier held a senor role with Otsuka.
Weinand, a US citizen, has clearly been drafted in to help address the decline in Sanofi’s revenues in American, where its flagship insulin and diabetes products are under pricing pressure and stiff competition.
The diabetes and cardiovascular division saw revenues decline 15% in the first quarter to 1.08bn, with US sales of Lantus falling 30% in the period.
Another key product which needs urgent attention is new cholesterol treatment Praluent. It is struggling to compete with Amgen’s Repatha, earning just $73m in the second quarter compared to its rival’s $148m.
The company needs to compete with Repatha on cardiovascular outcomes, and has just submitted new data to the FDA. If approved, this will allow it to claim a 15% overall reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events, although this is less impressive than Repatha’s figures.
Sanofi is also looking for growth from its newly expanded specialised medicine portfolio. The EMA has just approved its acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (aTTP) therapy Cablivi, the main asset behind its €9.3bn acquisition of Belgian biotech Ablynx, with an FDA decision expected in February.