Sanofi-aventis rebrands as Sanofi

France-based pharmaceutical company, sanofi-aventis, has rebranded itself as Sanofi following approval from its shareholders at the company's combined general shareholder meeting.

The company has also updated its logo to what it describes as 'the bird of hope' consisting of three parts that represent the principles of innovation, adaptability, and external growth.

The news comes after the company's recent acquisition of Genzyme, with Sanofi looking to shorten its name to make it easier to pronounce in different languages.

Sanofi was originally formed in 1973, and merged with pharmaceutical company synthélabo in 1999. The company became sanofi-aventis in 2004 following the merger of sanofi-synthélabo and Aventis.

Sanofi has further details of the combined general shareholder meeting, including both video and audio webcasts.