Sanofi plans to increase presence in Iran

The MoC with the Iran Food and Drug Administration, affiliated to the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, is aimed at initiating talks to explore the possibilities in which the company may provide its expertise for several pharmaceutical projects.

The company said it would consider extending partnerships with local manufacturers to improve the sharing of its expertise in industrial quality standards and increase the transfer of pharmaceutical production technology and know-how.

Sanofi will also collaborate with Iran’s ministry of Health on programs to avoid and control several chronic and non-communicable diseases as well as on managing associated risk factors like diabetes.

It will also assess potential collaborations to enhance the availability of exact epidemiological studies and registries.

The company said all evaluations will be carried out in accordance with applicable laws, including trade restriction rules.

Sanofi chairman of the board of directors Serge Weinberg said: "With this cooperation, we will consider the possibility to increase our footprint in Iran, where we have been operating for more than 10 years, and reinforce our ongoing industrial collaborations."

The company noted that 55% of its sales in Iran were from products manufactured locally.

Last year, Sanofi entered into exclusive talks with Boehringer Ingelheim on a potential asset swap that would see the French pharmaceutical firm swap its animal health unit (Merial) with the German company’s consumer healthcare (CHC) business.

Boehringer would pay Sanofi €4.7bn as part of the agreement. The French company’s animal-health business has an enterprise value of €11.4bn and Boehringer’s CHC business is valued at €6.7bn.

Image: Sanofi chairman of the board of directors Serge Weinberg. Photo: courtesy of Sanofi.