Sanofi-Aventis redoubles efforts in Chinese market



The Paris-based company has been expanding in emerging markets and consumer health products to counter a loss of revenue caused by the expiry of the patents on some of its best-selling drugs.

Despite being ranked fifth in the global "over the counter" (OTC) market, Sanofi-Aventis is still a newcomer in China's OTC market, meaning mergers and acquisitions will be an important strategy, according to Thomas Kelly, senior vice-president of Sanofi-Aventis Asia.

"We are just tapping into the OTC market, so collaborating with established brands and excellent products that have wide distribution channels is a very efficient way for us to compete. We will continue to look for other good opportunities for collaboration or acquisitions," said Kelly.

"However, we are in no hurry to do that, because we have our own line of consumer health products, which is expected to be launched in China this year," he added.

Last week, Sanofi-Aventis launched its five-in-one combination children's vaccine Pentaxim in China.

The company says the treatment is effective against several of the most prominent childhood illnesses such as diphtheria, tetanus, polio and Haemophilus influenzae type B.

The vaccine will also help lower the number of shots required for immunization from 12 to four.

Meanwhile, the company is building a factory in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, which will produce flu vaccine for 2013. The drugmaker also expects to launch a dengue vaccine in the country in 2014 or 2015.

Viehbacher said Sanofi also sees opportunities for treatment aimed at other illnesses, such as liver cancer, and will increase investment in manufacturing, research and development, and will cooperate with universities.

The company has also announced that it will support a five-year plan for diabetes ! manageme nt established by China's health ministry. The program, led by the Chinese Center for Disease Control, will train 500 diabetes specialists, and provide 10,000 community and rural-based doctors to deliver diabetes care and patient education by 2015.

Source: China Daily

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