Sanofi is restructuring its R&D group and plans to eliminate 466 jobs in France and Germany as part of a reorganization to focus on its immuno-oncology pipeline and gene therapies.
 
The company plans to exit cardiology research and focus on its existing assets and in-licensed clinical-phase drugs in this area. Also, the company’s diabetes research will focus on drugs that address the underlying causes of the disease but Sanofi will continue to develop its existing diabetes pipeline.
 
Sanofi plans to expand gene therapy R&D in the U.S., where it has a focused group in Massachusetts, and will further invest in antibody engineering in Germany. The changes may also include reorganizing R&D activities among its sites in France in an effort to use its resources more efficiently.
 
“The transformation of our R&D organization would enable us to focus on the therapeutic areas and platforms where we believe we have the greatest opportunity to make a meaningful difference for patients and to maximize the productivity of our research engine,” said John Reed head of R&D at Sanofi.