Generating growth with Genfar

PARIS—In a move that expands its presence and pharmaceuticalportfolio in Latin America, Sanofi has announced the signing of an agreement toacquire Genfar SA, a pharmaceuticals manufacturer with headquarters in Bogota,Colombia. The transaction will establish Sanofi as a market leader in Colombia,as Genfar is the second-largest generic company in sales and leader in units inColombia.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but the transaction,which is subject to certain conditions precedent, is expected to close in thefirst quarter of 2013. No details were released as to Sanofi's plans forGenfar's facilities or employees.

"With the acquisition of Genfar, Sanofi has a uniqueopportunity to strengthen its presence in Latin America through a largeportfolio of affordable pharmaceuticals in a broad range of markets in theAndean countries and Central America," Heraldo Marchezini, senior vicepresident of Sanofi in Latin America, said in a press release. "Thisacquisition will allow Sanofi to better serve the 200 million people in theregion."

Genfar was established in 1967, and in addition to itscorporate headquarters in Bogota, it also has subsidiaries in Peru and Ecuador.In addition to Peru and Ecuador, Genfar also has a commercial presence inVenezuela and 10 other Latin American countries. The company notes on itswebsite that it has "strengthened our presence over 14 countries in theregion," and adds that "in the Cauca state, Genfar owns the most modern plantin Latin America for the manufacturing of Betalactamic drugs." Genfar notesthat it has been "committed to the manufacturing and production of generic,over-the-counter and under-prescription drugs for both the Human and AnimalHealth divisions, which demonstrate a developmental and innovative processwhich has made a remarkable distinction over the quality of our products fromthe very first day."

The company recorded total sales in 2011 of $133 million,with 30 percent of sales generated outside of Colombia. It is one of thefastest-growing pharmaceutical companies in Colombia and boasts strong localbrand awareness as well as a broad and affordable portfolio. According toMarisol Péron, senior director of corporate media relations for Sanofi, Genfaris ranked #12 in the total pharma market in Colombia.

The acquisition adds to Sanofi's existing commercialpresence in Latin America, which includes "business units of affordablepharmaceuticals in some [Latin American] countries such as Medley (Brazil);Winthrop and Medley (Colombia); and Kendrick (Mexico)," says Péron. Commercialoverlap from the acquisition "could be considered low" even in Colombia, Péronnotes, adding that the acquisition "would play an important role in thediversification towards more stable and growing market segments."

"Through this bolt-on acquisition, Sanofi expands itspresence in affordable pharmaceuticals and becomes better positioned to capturefuture market opportunities. Genfar is an excellent strategic fit, supportingSanofi's emerging markets strategy, and allows Sanofi to accelerate itsdiversification efforts in the Andean Region, and complements the strengths ofits portfolio in the region, including Medley in Brazil," says Péron. "Theaddition of Genfar's animal health products to Merial's portfolio will expandSanofi's animal health footprint in the region. In addition, this acquisitionallows Sanofi to leverage an existing strong presence with retailers,especially in Venezuela and Central America, broadening the commercial offer inthese markets due the large portfolio registered and not currentlycommercialized by Genfar."

Sanofi reported net sales for the third quarter of 2012 of$1.15 billion in Latin America, a growth of 11.3 percent at constant exchangerates. Its net sales in the region for the first nine months of 2012 wererecorded at roughly $3.3 billion, a growth of 13.2 percent at constant exchangerates.

Sanofi selects BioClinica's OnPoint as enterprise CTMS

NEWTOWN, Pa.—Sanofi has selected OnPoint, a clinical trialmanagement system (CTMS) offered by BioClinica Inc., for all of its CTMSactivity.

OnPoint helps sponsors easily centralize and share trialdata. Its "Office-Smart" design will maximize Sanofi's existing investment inMicrosoft technologies by letting users access, update and report on clinicaltrial data from within the familiar environment of Microsoft Office andSharePoint. Using SharePoint as a collaborative portal, OnPoint's web servicesintegration with other trial management products provides an end-to-end trialmanagement solution. This approach lessens the financial impact of trialmanagement, greatly enhances user adoption and helps avoid the pitfalls ofoutdated, legacy CTMS products, according to BioClinica.

"Providing anend-to-end clinical development platform that unifies the best availablesolutions is an important part of BioClinica's approach to trial management,"says Peter Benton, president of BioClinica's eClinical Solutions. "OnPoint'sability to exchange information across multiple systems, including Sanofi'schoice of eTMF (Electronic Trial Master File), makes OnPoint the best choicefor clinical trial management and demonstrates why BioClinica is the innovationleader in eClinical products."