Sanofi and Cheplapharm have announced plans to form a strategic partnership involving the transfer of 20 mature medicines and three global manufacturing sites. Under the agreement, Cheplapharm will assume control of the selected products and facilities, while Sanofi receives a 26.4% equity stake in the German pharmaceutical company. The collaboration builds on a relationship that began in 2014.
The partnership reflects a shared belief that innovative and mature medicines require distinct operating models tailored to their unique regulatory, manufacturing, and commercial needs. Cheplapharm’s specialized expertise is expected to support continued access to these treatments as they move through the later stages of their lifecycle.
“Our multi-year journey to simplify our mature portfolio has enabled us to focus on innovation while ensuring mature medicines continue to reach patients who need them,” said Thomas Grenier, Executive Vice President of General Medicines at Sanofi. “Cheplapharm has been a trusted partner for more than a decade, and this transaction significantly builds on its prior acquisitions from Sanofi’s mature medicines portfolio.”
Cheplapharm’s co-CEOs, Edeltraud Lafer and Sebastian Braun, described the deal as a major milestone. They highlighted the addition of products that align with their existing portfolio, along with capabilities tied to producing Lovenox/Clexane, a flagship anticoagulant.
Manufacturing Sites and Transition Plan
Three manufacturing facilities are set to transition to Cheplapharm: Csanyikvölgy in Hungary (approximately 400 employees), Jurong in Singapore (around 100 employees), and Ploërmel in France (about 65 employees). All sites will retain current employment terms and collective agreements during the shift.
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The commercial transfer of the medicine portfolio is scheduled to begin in early 2027. Site transfers will follow after required consultations with employee representatives, regulatory approvals, and other standard closing conditions. Full completion is targeted for late 2027.
This arrangement allows Sanofi to maintain focus on its innovative pipeline while entrusting established therapies to a partner with deep experience in mature medicines. Cheplapharm, in turn, gains scale and product diversity to reinforce its position in the well-established medicines market.
The proposed transaction is not expected to affect Sanofi’s financial outlook for 2026. Additional financial terms are anticipated to be disclosed in future updates.
The medicines being divested from Sanofi include Lovenox/Clexane (enoxaparin), a widely used anticoagulant that has served millions of patients globally over decades of clinical application. This transfer further strengthens Cheplapharm’s standing in the well-established medicines market, where it holds 3,440 marketing authorizations across 160 countries, reflecting a long-term vision of sustainable growth supported by more than €6.2 billion invested since its inception and nearly 100 products acquired since 2015.
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