Sanofi-aventis presented to its social partners in France the project for investing and adapting its chemical and biotechnology manufacturing facilities in France over the next four years. The goal of the project includes the change of the sanofi-aventis chemical industrial activities in France towards biotechnology and vaccine production by 2014. The project also prepares the facilities for a decline in production that will follow patent expirations of several major drugs derived by synthetic chemistry.

"The change of our industrial network towards more biotechnologies corresponds to the evolution of innovation in the pharmaceutical world, more and more balanced between vaccines and compounds arising from biotechnologies, and active ingredients derived from synthetic chemistry", declared Philippe Luscan, senior vice president, Industrial Affairs, sanofi-aventis. "This project is fully in line with the Group's strategy and will allow sanofi-aventis to maintain its competitive advantage, to generate sustainable growth and to keep a steady number of industry jobs in France, over the next four years".

Sanofi-aventis will invest €150 million in its industrial plants, including € 90 million for the creation of a new innovative biosynthetic process in the industrial plants in Saint-Aubin-Lés-Elbeuf, in Seine-Maritime, France, and Vertolaye, in Puy de Dôme, France, in order to improve our corticosteroid production competitiveness at a global level. The new activities will result in local job creation.

Some new activities from Sanofi Pasteur would be housed in the new facility in Neuville-sur-Saône, Rhône, France, where the new vaccine against the dengue fever is already planned to be produced. This plant will become the Group's third largest European center fully dedicated to vaccines by 2014.

Sanofi-aventis' new plan also include a gradual phase-out of the facilities in Romainville, in Seine-Saint Denis, France, by the end of 2013, accompanied by a job stimulus plan to be implemented in the area. The project will also includes measures to assist employees' geographic mobility, especially in the Paris and Lyon area labour basins, and to facilitate career mobility by means of biotechnology training programs for 700 employees, to be implemented in partnership with French Universities. No other change in the industrial network is planned within the same period.

Since 2008, sanofi-aventis has devoted a total of €700 million in investments to evolve its chemical production facilities in France to biotechnology capabilities - including the €350 million investment in Neuville-sur-Saône, and €200 million in Vitry-sur-Seine.