Sanofi and Boehringer Ingelheim announce manufacturing partnership

Sanofi has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim focusing on the manufacture of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies.

The deal will help to support Sanofi's upcoming product launch plans at a time when 72 percent of the company's research and development projects are in the field of biologics, with nearly half of these being monoclonal antibodies.

Under the terms of the agreement, Sanofi will gain access to Boehringer Ingelheim's production capabilities in Biberach an der Riss in Germany. Initial product transfers are expected to take place in early 2015.

This deal will complement Sanofi's existing partnership with Regeneron and the investments it has been making in bolstering its own internal capabilities.

Wolfram Carius, senior vice-president for biologics at Sanofi, said: "This collaboration reinforces Sanofi's commitment to our strong biologics pipeline and will enable us to take the necessary steps to provide access to high quality therapeutic monoclonal antibodies to meet the needs of patients."

Last week, Sanofi and Regeneron announced that their latest monoclonal antibody project – the cholesterol therapy Praluent – has been accepted for European regulatory review.