by Ludwig Burger and Tassilo Hummel
PARIS (Reuters) – Sanofi announced on Monday the resignation of its global head of research and development (R&D), John Reed, a departure that comes as the pharmaceutical group has come under fire from some shareholders over its drug development plans.
John Reed, who joined Sanofi in 2018 after working at Roche, will leave the company “to pursue an opportunity,” the French group said in a statement.
Dietmar Berger, who has held the position of global development manager and chief medical officer since 2019, has agreed to act as interim head of R&D while Sanofi has begun the internal and external search process for the Estate of John Reed.
Sanofi’s R&D activity has been criticized, especially after the delay in the development of a vaccine against COVID-19, which saw the emergence of messenger RNA technology on which Sanofi was then absent.
The cessation in August of the clinical development program for amcenestrant, an oral treatment for certain breast cancers which had strong commercial potential, also fueled concerns about the group’s ability to market new treatments and not to be too dependent on its blockbuster drug Dupixent.
This year’s expected launches of haemophilia A treatment Altuviiio and antiviral drug Beyfortus are therefore an important test for Sanofi to regain investor confidence, although the group has warned that the costs associated with these launches will weigh on profits. .
On the Paris Stock Exchange, the Sanofi title fell by 0.2% in the morning while the CAC 40 rose at the same time by 0.6%.
(Blandine Hénault for the French version, edited by Kate Entringer)
Copyright © 2023 Thomson Reuters
Are you following this action?
Receive all the information about SANOFI in real time: