Sanofi expands Iranian presence with memorandum agreement
pharmafile | January 29, 2016 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Medical Communications | Iran, Sanofi, Serge Weinberg
Sanofi has become the latest pharmaceutical company to expand its presence in post-sanctions Iran, signing a memorandum of co-operation with the Iran Food and Drug Administration by which the French company will use its expertise to improve the healthcare landscape in the middle-eastern country.
The agreement was signed during Iranian president Hassan Rouhani’s visit to France this week, during which he agreed several deals with French companies, reflecting the increased ease of doing business in the Islamic Republic since the lifting of economic sanctions this month.
The Sanofi memorandum names three specific areas of potential collaboration, the first of which is further development of Sanofi’s partnerships with Iranian manufacturers. It is hoped that Sanofi will share production knowledge and help improve standards to enhance manufacturing of pharmaceutical products in several fields of chronic and non-communicable diseases
Sanofi will also collaborate with the Ministry of Health on programs to help prevent and control certain chronic and non-communicable diseases, with a particular focus on diabetes. The third area is developing collaborations to improve the availability of accurate, reliable, and meaningful epidemiological studies and registries.
Serge Weinberg, chairman of the board of directors at Sanofi, says the company is the leading multinational pharma firm in Iran, having begun a long-term presence in the country 10 years ago, when it established offices.
He comments: “Sanofi [is] committed to delivering both innovative and well established healthcare solutions to citizens of Iran. 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.”
Several pharma companies are expected to take advantage of the end of sanctions to increase their trade in Iran. Earlier this week, Novo Nordisk announced it was more than doubling its staff head count in the Republic.
Joel Levy
Related Content
Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent receives CHMP recommendation for chronic spontaneous urticaria
Sanofi and Regeneron have received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee …
Sanofi’s treatment granted orphan designation for rare chronic inflammatory condition
The European Medicines Agency has granted orphan designation to Sanofi’s investigational Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) …
Sanofi completes acquisition of Vigil Neuroscience to early neurology pipeline
Sanofi has announced that it has finalised its acquisition of Vigil Neuroscience, a US-based biotechnology …
