Modern medicine saves and improves countless lives daily through dedication, research, and development.

Human life expectancy has been steadily increasing in the last few decades thanks to advancements in the scientific field. A lot of money is spent annually researching and developing cutting-edge treatments that will save lives and extend people's lifespans in the long run.

Sanofi, as one of the world's oldest and most consistent pharmaceutical companies, strives to provide people with the tools to lead long-lasting, healthy lives.

Its founders, Jean-René Sautier and Jean-François Dehecq, were not scientists but savvy businessmen. Their philanthropic nature and desire to bring a positive change in the world were crucial to the company's development and successful operations.

If you want to learn more about this company's benevolent goals and its methods to reach them, we'll disclose Sanofi's story in detail.

Pharmaceutical Industry Titans

Our story begins with Jean-René Sautier. He was born on 16 February 1923 in Périgueux and spent his childhood in the Dordogne between Périgueux and Savignac-Les-Eglises.

Unfortunately, his secondary education was interrupted due to the events of the Second World War. However, while delayed, he still finished his education after the war, which set him on a path to success.

Jean-René spent about 20 years as a civil servant of different calibers after the Second World War. He left the civil service in 1963, when he joined Société Nationale des Pétroles d'Aquitaine (SNPA) as Head of the General Affairs Department, after which he was promoted to Director of Economic Affairs and then to Director of development. To achieve industrial diversification and move beyond oil extraction, the SNPA created a Health and Beauty Center, which would later become Sanofi, and named Jean-René as the director.

The other important person, Jean-François Dehecq, was born in Nantes, France, on the 1st of January 1940. He is considered Sanofi’s co-founder alongside Jean-René Sautier.

Jean-François spent some time in the world of academics before deciding to join the SNPA, where he progressed on the company ladder. Jean-René Sautier noticed his quality in 1970, and they worked together to build the company that would later become Sanofi.

First, Jean-François was appointed as Sanofi’s managing director, then vice president and managing director in 1988. The two visionaries with an entrepreneurial mindset had set off together to change the world of medicine and increase people’s life satisfaction and expectancy.

The Sanofi Consumer Healthcare Story

The company as it exists today was created in 2004, after a merger between Sanofi-Synthélabo and Aventis, but its foundation dates back to the 1800s. With more than a century of combined experience in the health and science industries, these companies joined together to perfect their innovation process and keep up with societal changes and patient requirements.

The company, known today as Sanofi, has a rich history and is actually a product of 4 companies joined in different periods. Sanofi was originally founded by the SNPA as a Health and Beauty Center, whereas Synthélabo was launched in 1834 as Laboratoires Dausse. On the other hand, Rhône-Poulenc Rorer was initially created as Wittmann et Poulenc Jeune by Etienne Poulenc, while Hoechst was primarily founded as a chemical concern in 1863 in Germany.

Sanofi is a French company at its core; however, that doesn’t mean it operates solely in France, as the company has branches and representatives worldwide.

People’s welfare is the primary goal on this company’s checklist. The experts employed at Sanofi specifically do so by creating medicine, treatments, and vaccines for countless ailments skillfully and professionally.

The ailment in question can be something as simple as a common cold, something as prevalent as diabetes, or even an infectious disease that requires a vaccine. No matter the severity, Sanofi’s research, and development department has a noble cause for providing the most suitable treatment.

Sanofi Funding

Sanofi is currently being funded by 2 lead investors - Blackstone Life Sciences and Evotec. Blackstone Life Sciences is a private investment platform in the United States of America, and Evotec is a drug discovery and development company headquartered in Germany.

The work that Sanofi does is funded through three different methods. The first and most obvious method is through the generated revenue, and this for-profit entity’s yearly revenue is between $34 billion and $46 billion.

The second method is through Post-IPO equity rounds, which Sanofi has done twice - in 2014 and 2022. The results from the post-IPO equity round were: $310,000,000 in 2014 and $300,000,000 in 2022. The lead investor in the first post-IPO equity round was Evotec, while the lead in the second round was Blackstone Life Sciences.

The third method is through the available shares. Sanofi’s shares have been listed on the Euronext Paris exchange since 1999 and as American Depositary Shares on the NYSE until the end of 2018.

Since January 2nd, 2019, the Nasdaq Global Select Market has been a home for Sanofi ADSs trading. Two ADSs are represented by one ordinary share.

As of June 2022, the total number of shares issued by Sanofi is over 1.2 billion. However, the number of real voting rights (which excludes treasury shares) is over 1.4 billion, while the theoretical number of voting rights (which includes treasury shares) is around 1.42 billion.

What’s in Store for the Future?

Sanofi is a 49-year-old company with a long history, filled with battles for improving the quality of human life, just like it is filled with battles for success. Its roots date back 200 years, and the successfully created vaccines, medicine, and treatments for all ailments are irrefutable proof of its success.

This Paris-based company noted close to 95,000 employees worldwide in 2021, which is a slight dip compared to previous years but still quite impressive. Sanofi employees can be found in countries like France, the United States of America, Spain, Canada, Germany, Australia, and many others.

It has had to adjust and merge with other companies several times, but it is still a household name, well known among the public. Sanofi’s perseverance in the global market is a testament to the quality and dedication of the employees and the people that lead it.

Sanofi, just like its goal of improvement for all human health and well-being, are global, moving past man-made borders to connect with all people. The different ages, origins, and backgrounds of the employees of Sanofi make them even more focused on providing tools for better health for all humankind instead of one particular category.

The company aims to provide treatments and cures to everyone who needs them, whether by advancing the research for hemophilia treatment, improving existing vaccines, or increasing the immunity of climate-vulnerable populations. Sanofi will make sure no one is left behind.

Like any socially-conscious entity, Sanofi is dedicated to protecting the environment, minimizing the environmental impact, and creating a better world for the future.

In an unpredictable world where things change in a manner of seconds, people’s health is of the utmost importance to the individual and the World at large alike.

When the company was originally founded as a part of the oil company, its founders dreamed about creating a guiding light that would set the standard in the scientific and pharmaceutical fields.

Sanofi’s indisputable success has turned their dreams into reality.