Sanofi announces an investment of €40 million in its Lyon Gerland bioproduction site, consolidating its role as a strategic platform dedicated to immunology. Sanofi thus continues to support the production in France of Thymoglubulin, a drug used in particular in transplantation, and anticipates future needs in bioproduction by localizing in France the production of a drug for type 1 diabetes - TZIELD.

As part of this investment, € 25 million is being dedicated to the production and development of the second generation of its polyclonal antibody, which is crucial for transplant patients. In addition, an investment of over € 15 million is planned to internalize and localize in France the production of monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of type 1 diabetes in the preclinical and clinical stages of the disease.

“With this significant investment, we are strengthening our footprint and leadership in bioproduction from France to serve our ambitions in immunology. Our Lyon Gerland site already holds a central place in the Lyon ecosystem of life sciences and this investment serves as a new step to allow us to accelerate its increased role in serving patients in France and around the world,” Charles Wolf, General Manager France, Sanofi.

Dedicated to transplant patients, Sanofi's anti-lymphocyte serum is an immunosuppressant manufactured exclusively at the Lyon Gerland site. The site produces 1.6 million vials to treat approximately 70,000 patients per year in 74 countries.

To meet the constant increase in the number of transplant patients worldwide, Sanofi has developed a new manufacturing process that will increase production capacity, make supply more reliable and further improve the product's environmental impact.

Modernization work began in the summer of 2024. The first industrial batches will be produced in 2025 and the first commercial batches available in 2027. Production of this medicine will continue in the meantime and in parallel, according to the process currently in force, which guarantees its availability for patients.

The Lyon Gerland site also has an agile bioproduction platform that allows it to internalize the production of a drug for patients with preclinical type 1 diabetes, previously produced outside the European Union and not by Sanofi. This immunomodulatory treatment meets an unmet patient need. The development of the bioproduction area will begin in early 2025. The first batches will be produced by the end of 2025 and will be available for marketing from 2027.

With more than €2.5 billion already committed to major projects since the Covid-19 pandemic, and more than €1 billion additional investment in bioproduction announced last May, Sanofi continues to demonstrate its commitment to France's health sovereignty and the economic development of its territories.

Sanofi ensures 60% of its global production within the European Union and remains the leading private investor in R&D in France, with 2.5 billion euros per year. These investments support Sanofi's ambition to become the world leader in immunology, by launching innovative drugs and treatments for millions of patients suffering from diseases such as asthma, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes and chronic bronchitis.