The announcement is seen with a bad eye in the Ministry of Economy. The French pharmaceutical company of Sanofi has announced investments of up to 20 billion euros in the United States. A decision qualified as “bad signal” by the Minister of Economy Éric Lombard in BFM business.
This announcement occurs in the midst of a customs offensive by Donald Trump, who has established Mirobal customs duties, before making (partially) reversions. The objective shown by the US president is to bring industries back to the United States. It also threatens specific customs customs tasks.
But, the concomitance of Sanofi’s advertisements and the American protectionist policy is enough to say that the pharmaceutical giant has yielded to the pressure of the White House tenant?
• What did Sanofi announce?
The French multinational has announced investments of $ 20 billion for five years during the 2025-2030 period. This project contains two components with “a significant increase in research and development spending” but also “the allocation of billions of dollars to US production.”
In addition to R&D expenses, Sanofi, therefore, plans to produce more in the United States. The company strongly insists on its press release, on the creation of “a significant number of well -paid works in several states in the coming years”, while Sanofi already employs more than 13,000 employees.
• Is the pharmaceutical company already present in the United States?
This announcement will be compared with sales made by Sanofi in the United States. In 2024, the pharmaceutical giant made almost half (49%) of its invoicing in the Atlantic, against 4% in France and less than 18% in Europe. Historically, pharmaceutical companies carry out significant margins in the United States due to the price of higher medications.
Given this commercial presence in the United States, Sanofi produces little in proportion. According to challenges, only 25% of drugs sold to Americans are held in the United States. Therefore, Sanofi investments are just an approach to the production chain with their favorite market.
• What blame criticism of criticism?
The Minister of the Economy “would have preferred Sanofi to make another decision.” “The scope of investments in the United States, it is true that it is a bad sign at a time when we consider that (…) Europe and France, this is the place where we must invest,” he said. For its part, Sanofi wanted to specify that this announcement did not question the planned investments in France by 2030.
The CGT, for the voice of Sophie Binet, also criticized the group for saying goodbye every year and for abandoning research in France. The workforce of employees who work in research in France have melted in the middle in 10 years (6,500 in 2014 against 3,000 in 2024).
At the moment, this announcement occurs when Donald Trump threatens the world of customs duties and objectives in particular the pharmaceutical industry by threatening it with specific drug tariffs.
France and Europe are trying to resist customs threats and the government asked the leaders of large companies to “economic patriotism.” Sanofi’s ads were also made a few days before the Choice France summit, during which companies announce investments in the tricolor territory.
• How long does it take to trigger such investments?
In addition, this type of investment is generally part of a long -term global strategy.
“For a company, I was business manager, it’s six months, one year and two years” to make such a decision, said Thierry Breton, for whom he is “too early” to talk about a victory by Donald Trump.
These investments are “Biden’s inheritance, a cat must be called a cat,” he continued, evoking the role of the flagship program of Joe Biden, “Inflation reduction law” (anger) with his $ 370 billion in fiscal subsidies and incentives.
• Is Sanofi the only “Big Pharma” to announce investments in the United States?
Other pharmaceutical companies have already announced investments in the United States. We can significantly mention the Americans Eli Lilly (27 billion) Johnson & Johnson (55 billion) or the Swiss Novartis (23 billion) and Roche (50 billion).
Except that Roche recently clarified his statements. In question, a Donald plan that plans to drastically reduce the prices of prescription medications.
In his press release, Sanofi was also cautious about the volatility of Donald Trump’s customs ads, and reserves the right to change his plans. “Sanofi’s investment decisions will be adjusted according to the evolution of the external environment,” said the company.
Contacted in the underlying motivations to their investments, Sanofi has not responded to this day.
Source: BFM TV
