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Sanofi-Aventis to Launch New Offensive

December 30, 2004
https://p.dw.com/p/63mw
Sanofi-Aventis, the world's third-biggest pharmaeuticals group, is planning to expand in the area of generic or off-patent drugs, German daily Die Welt reported Thursday. The French drug maker, formed from the merger of Sanofi Synthelabo and Franco-German life sciences giant Aventis, aims to become one of the European leaders in generics. It currently ranks number 27 worldwide, with annual generic sales of just €250 million ($340 million). World leader, the Israeli group Teva, has annual sales of some €2.7 billion. Die Welt said that Sanofi-Aventis would launch a new umbrella brand "Winthrop" for its generic drugs from January 1. And it planned to set up new national subsidiaries in countries such as Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Switzerland within the next year.