Cheplapharm plans expansion through deal with Sanofi

The Greifswald-based pharmaceutical company Cheplapharm wants to increase its annual sales by around one billion euros and take over three production sites abroad with a deal with the French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi.

Cheplapharm is to take over and market 20 drugs from Sanofi. In return, the French received a 26.4 percent stake in Cheplapharm. This will expand an already existing cooperation.

According to its own statements, Cheplapharm would become the fifth largest pharmaceutical company in Germany as a result of the deal, which is still subject to the approval of the responsible employee representatives and regulatory and antitrust authorities. Annual sales would therefore increase from more than 1.6 billion euros to more than 2.6 billion euros.

The takeover of three production sites in Hungary, Singapore and France would add more than 550 to the existing 800 Cheplapharm employees.

Cheplapharm markets already established specialized medicines after they have fallen out of patent protection and commissions external companies to produce them. After the Sanofi deal, Cheplapharm would produce the blood thinner Lovenox itself. The drug is used, for example, in thrombosis injections.