A Sanofi spokesperson said the pharma will try to find spots within the company for as many of the displaced staffers as possible.
SaSanofiill be closing the doors to a research facility in the biotech hub of Cambridge, U.K., a move that will impact around 90 people, a spokesperson for the French Pharma told Fierce Biotech.
Sanoficareful review of our R&D global footprint, we are proposing to end research operations in Cambridge, U.K., a site which joined our company through acquisition in 2021,” the Sanofi spokesperson told Fierce in an emailed statement March 13.
The site previously belonged to antibody developer Kymab, a biotech that Sanofi acquired in 2021 for $1.1 billion upfront. The deal centered around an anti-OX40L monoclonal antibodSanofigned to improve outcomes in patients with atopic dermatitis. That drug hit the main goals of a phase 2b trial last June, spurring talks of a phase 3 launch.
Around 90 people are employed at the Sanofi R&D sitSanofi of whom have been informed of the closure, the spokesperson said.AstraZeneca
The Paris-based pharma will try to fiSanofilace within Sanofi for as many of the staffers as possible, the spokesperson added.
The shuttering follows a strategy shift for Sanofi. TheSanofiharma has decided to funnel cash into key programs rather than increase its operating profit margin, CEO Paul Hudson announced in October. In December, the company tipped three "pipeline-in-a-product” assets to generate 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) in a year or more, one of several predictions intended to justify the decision to ditch its margin target.
In better news for Cambridge's pharma credenSanofi AstraZeneca revealed last week that it will invest 200 million pounds sterling ($256 million) to expand the company's presence near its global headquarters. The plan includes a facility that will house around 1,000 employees, the drugmaker said.