Sanofi  has opened its new logistics hub in Casablanca, Morocco, during a ceremony attended by  Christopher A Viehbacher, CEO of Sanofi,  Mahsoussi El Aid,  General  Secretary of Trade, Ministry of Trade, Industry and New Technologies, and El Houssaine Louardi, Minister of Health of the Kingdom of Morocco.

During the ceremony, Sanofi-Aventis Maroc, Sanofi-Aventis Group, the Ministry of Trade, Industry  and New Technologies, and the Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Morocco also signed three collaboration agreements intended to improve the care of patients with type I diabetes, those suffering from mental disorders and epilepsy, and training for careers in the pharmaceutical industry.

"I am very pleased to inaugurate the new Sanofi logistics hub in Morocco, which represents an investment of €20 million. It will become the largest distribution center for Sanofi’s pharmaceutical products on the African continent," said Christopher A. Viehbacher, CEO of Sanofi. "As medicines alone cannot fight such diseases as diabetes, mental disorders and epilepsy, the  collaborations signed today reinforce Sanofi’s commitment in building major programs with stakeholders in  the public and private sectors  to provide solutions for prevention, awareness and diagnosis for the benefit of patients."

Sanofi has been present in Morocco for over 50 years and is the market leader in the country.

The new Sanofi distribution centre in Morocco covers an area of nearly 12,000 square meters and has a capacity for 14,500 pallets. It handles 1,300 product references produced by the Moroccan subsidiary, both exported to sub-Saharan Africa and destined for the Moroccan and import market. This state-of-the-art distribution centre combines new technologies, advanced services and respect for the environment.

The collaboration agreement entered into between Sanofi-Aventis Maroc and the Ministry of Health, signed for a period of three  years, will be devoted to type I diabetes, with the aim of developing standard care protocols for children and adolescents with diabetes. This will involve the introduction of a standardized therapeutic education programme, upgrading the eleven existing centers for paediatric 2/2 diabetology consultation, creating two new centres in Oujda and Agadir, and training health professionals and paramedical staff to take care of children and adolescents with diabetes.

The second collaboration agreement entered into between Sanofi-Aventis Group (in particular the Access to medicines department), Sanofi-Aventis Maroc and the Ministry of Health, for a term of five years, will be devoted to mental disorders and epilepsy. The aim is to reinforce care facilities for people with these diseases in Morocco by training 40 psychiatrists, 40 neurologists, 160 general practitioners (GPs) and 160 nurses, and raising awareness about these  conditions among the Moroccan people.

Under the third collaboration agreement entered into between Sanofi-Aventis Maroc, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and New Technologies and the  Ministry of Health, Sanofi-Aventis Maroc will contribute to the National  Contract Program which outlines a general framework for the development of the Moroccan pharmaceutical industry. Sanofi-Aventis Maroc will provide with the training of agents, technicians and managers working in the Ministry of Health in connection with careers in the pharmaceutical industry and more specifically with respect to Best Distribution Practices, Health, Safety and the Environment, and supply chain.