Sanofi Pasteur and Merck (Known as MSD Outside the United States and Canada) Announce Intent to End Joint Vaccines Operations in Europe, Sanofi Pasteur MSD, to Pursue Their Own Distinct Growth Strategies
March 8, 2016 8:00 am ET
Sanofi Pasteur and Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and
Canada, today announced their intent to end their joint vaccines
operations in Europe. Upon concluding their joint venture, both
companies plan to integrate their respective European vaccine businesses
into their operations, independently manage their product portfolios and
pursue their own distinct growth strategies in Europe.
The joint venture Sanofi Pasteur MSD, owned on a 50/50 basis by Sanofi
Pasteur and MSD, was created in 1994 to develop and commercialize
vaccines originating from both companies’ pipelines to improve and
promote public health in 19 European countries. Over the past twenty
years, Sanofi Pasteur MSD has launched numerous innovative vaccines
originating from Sanofi Pasteur and MSD’s development pipelines,
addressing key unmet medical needs and helping to protect millions of
lives.
Sanofi Pasteur and MSD jointly issued the following statement: “We are
proud of Sanofi Pasteur MSD’s successful 20-year history. Our joint
venture has achieved considerable success over the past two decades from
a public health and commercial perspective. After carefully considering
our individual strategic priorities, alongside the economic and
regulatory environments for vaccine operations in the European Union, we
have mutually agreed that it is in our best interests to manage our
vaccine product portfolios independently. We believe that focusing our
efforts on opportunities unique to our respective companies will better
position us to drive growth, execute in a more efficient manner and
optimize vaccine coverage. By bringing vaccines more rapidly to market,
both companies would deliver greater value to all stakeholders.”
Sanofi Pasteur and MSD will ensure that any impact on employees as a
result of the proposed changes to the business model will be managed
responsibly. We are also focused on a smooth and orderly transition
while achieving our public healthcare goals and upholding our
commitments to our customers and business partners.
Sanofi Pasteur and MSD expect the project to be completed by the end of
2016, subject to local labor laws and regulations and regulatory
approvals.
About Merck
Today’s Merck is a global health care leader working to help the world
be well. Merck is known as MSD outside the United States and Canada.
Through our prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and
animal health products, we work with customers and operate in more than
140 countries to deliver innovative health solutions. We also
demonstrate our commitment to increasing access to health care through
far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. For more information,
visit www.merck.com
and connect with us on Twitter,
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and LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA
This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA (the
“company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of
the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs
and expectations of the company’s management and are subject to
significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove
inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may
differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry
conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest
rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of
pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the
United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost
containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained
by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development,
including obtaining regulatory approval; the company’s ability to
accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties
or delays; financial instability of international economies and
sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents
and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to
litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.
The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results
to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking
statements can be found in the company’s 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K
and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).
About Sanofi Pasteur MSD
Sanofi Pasteur MSD is a European joint venture formed between Sanofi
Pasteur (the vaccine division of Sanofi) and Merck (known as MSD outside
the United States and Canada). Sanofi Pasteur MSD makes use of the
combined expertise resulting from Sanofi Pasteur and Merck’s research to
focus on the development of new vaccines in Europe in order to produce
the most effective, most acceptable and better tolerated vaccines. Sales
of Sanofi Pasteur MSD were €824 million in 2015. For more information
visit: http://www.spmsd.com
About Sanofi
Sanofi, a global healthcare leader, discovers, develops and distributes
therapeutic solutions focused on patients’ needs. Sanofi has core
strengths in diabetes solutions, human vaccines, innovative drugs,
consumer healthcare, emerging markets, animal health and Genzyme. Sanofi
is listed in Paris (EURONEXT:SAN)
and in New York (NYSE:SNY).
Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, provides more than 1
billion doses of vaccine each year, making it possible to immunize more
than 500 million people across the globe. A world leader in the vaccine
industry, Sanofi Pasteur offers a broad range of vaccines protecting
against 20 infectious diseases. The company’s heritage, to create
vaccines that protect life, dates back more than a century. Sanofi
Pasteur is the largest company entirely dedicated to vaccines. Every
day, the company invests more than EUR 1 million in research and
development. For more information, please visit: www.sanofipasteur.com
or www.sanofipasteur.us
Forward Looking Statements of Sanofi
This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended.
Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts.
These statements include projections and estimates and their underlying
assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives, intentions and
expectations with respect to future financial results, events,
operations, services, product development and potential, and statements
regarding future performance. Forward-looking statements are generally
identified by the words “expects”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”,
“estimates”, “plans” and similar expressions. Although Sanofi’s
management believes that the expectations reflected in such
forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that
forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks
and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally
beyond the control of Sanofi, that could cause actual results and
developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or
projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These
risks and uncertainties include among other things, the uncertainties
inherent in research and development, future clinical data and analysis,
including post marketing, decisions by regulatory authorities, such as
the FDA or the EMA, regarding whether and when to approve any drug,
device or biological application that may be filed for any such product
candidates as well as their decisions regarding labelling and other
matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of
such product candidates, the absence of guarantee that the product
candidates if approved will be commercially successful, the future
approval and commercial success of therapeutic alternatives, the Group’s
ability to benefit from external growth opportunities, trends in
exchange rates and prevailing interest rates, the impact of cost
containment initiatives and subsequent changes thereto, the average
number of shares outstanding as well as those discussed or identified in
the public filings with the SEC and the AMF made by Sanofi, including
those listed under “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Regarding
Forward-Looking Statements” in Sanofi’s annual report on Form 20-F for
the year ended December 31, 2014. Other than as required by applicable
law, Sanofi does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any
forward-looking information or statements.
Merck
Media:
Lainie Keller, 908-236-5036
or
Investor:
Justin Holko, 908-740-1879
or
Sanofi Pasteur
Media:
Alain Bernal, +33 4 37 37 50 38
or
Investor:
Sébastien Martel, +33 1 53 77 45 45
