Sanofi to slash 466 jobs as part of R&D restructure

The 466 job cuts are to be implemented on a voluntary basis, Sanofi said. The company currently employs 15,000 in R&D worldwide out of total staffing of more than 100,000.

New Delhi: Sanofi on Wednesday said a reorganization of its research and development operation in Germany and France would result in 466 job cuts in the two countries.

In an emailed statement, a spokesman with the French drugmaker said the reshuffle aimed at enabling Sanofi to concentrate its research efforts in cancer, immunology, rare diseases and vaccines.

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According to a report by Reuters, the company would end new research efforts in cardiology, the spokesman added, solely keeping existing research programs.

The 466 job cuts are to be implemented on a voluntary basis, Sanofi said. The company currently employs 15,000 in R&D worldwide out of total staffing of more than 100,000.

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Headquartered in Paris, the company was formed as Sanofi-Aventis in 2004 by the merger of Aventis and Sanofi-Synthélabo, which were each the product of several previous mergers. It changed its name to Sanofi in May 2011. The company is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index.

The company engages in the research and development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical drugs principally in the prescription market, but the firm also develops over-the-counter medication.

The company covers seven major therapeutic areas: cardiovascular, central nervous system, diabetes, internal medicine, oncology, thrombosis and vaccines.