2024-11-13 16:13:00
Could the sale of Doliprane manufacturer be avoided? Was it necessary? If France and the European Union have sovereignty tools, nothing says that it was wise to mobilize them on this issue.
The current sale of Opella, the Sanofi subsidiary responsible for marketing Doliprane, to an American investment fund, may have sparked lively debates. In question, the risks that this transfer poses to our national pharmaceutical sovereignty.
This session must be placed in the context of globalization which has led to relocations. These make France dependent on distant production chains, so much so that sovereignty is today threatened in several strategic sectors, including pharmacy. Faced with these threats, the relocation on national or European territory of production factories for a certain number of products considered vital for the population appears necessary.
Assemble or produce?
France has no shortage of facilities to manufacture drugs like Doliprane, but it still lacks factories to produce active substances. Paracetamol is now imported to more than 85% of regions located outside the European Union (EU), mainly from China and India.
A medicine is in fact composed of one or more active substances, excipients and packaging items. In the case of Doliprane, Opella produces the tablet, that is, assembles the paracetamol (the active substance) and the excipients (such as povidone), which ensure the strength and stability of the tablet.
Provided by the author
3 billion in financing
The risks of disruptions in our supply chains led Emmanuel Macron to decide in June 2020 to relocate the production in France thanks to the granting of massive public aid to pharmaceutical companies.
The initiative is compatible with European law which seeks to “promote the achievement of a important project of common European interest (IPIEC) » involving several Member States, i.e. an active European industrial policy when the market proves to be failing. An “IPIEC Health” was thus launched by sixteen member states, including France, in March 2022, to “support innovation and improve the quality and access to care for European patients”. It appears today as the means of implementing the French and European strategy of relocation of production of medicines, and to provide significant funding compatible with the European state aid regime (France has mobilized, within the framework of France 2030, a budget for the health of 3 billion euros).
Unrequited aid?
Significant public aid was granted in June 2021 to the company Seqensfor the construction of a new production plant on its main industrial site in France, with the aim of producing up to 10,000 tonnes/year of paracetamol and distributing it in France by 2025. Seqens was owned by a French investment fund (Eurazeo) since 2016, but as of December 2021, the company was bought by an American investment fund, raising many questions given the risk of seeing paracetamol production relocated again to a third countries and the French market not supplied.
Why did the French government not oppose this takeover then, and does it not oppose that of Opella today? From 2019, the EU adopted a filtering and control mechanism foreign direct investment, which aims to “contain” takeovers of our “national champions” by investors from third countries. States may take measures aimed at authorizing, subjecting to conditions, prohibiting or even canceling the acquisition of the property of a company resident in their territory as long as it harms or risks harming assets deemed “strategic”.
A balance to find
In France, the Minister of the Economy has a “right of veto” which allows him not to authorize a buyout in a sensitive sector. And even when he authorizes it, he can condition his authorization and has the means from the Pact law of 2019 to enforce the initial conditions. He can withdraw his authorization, order the foreign investor to respect the conditions set if necessary by means of a penalty and apply financial penalties.
However, the balance to be found is delicate between seeking to attract international capital necessary for the reindustrialization of the territory, while refusing to allow them to subsequently leave as part of a relocation. Also the solution does it not consist, systematicallyin opposition to such takeovers. There are many avenues to explore to secure them within the framework of a partnership with the private sector (without which the reindustrialization policy cannot be carried out).
The minority’s room for maneuver
Integrate the French State into the capital of the new company via Bpifrance in particular is a possible path. By becoming a shareholder, even a minority shareholder, the State takes part in the governance of the company and intends to exercise a certain control over the commitments that the foreign investor may have been forced to make in terms of industrial relocation. Making the granting of public aid conditional on commitments not to relocate production is another, just like making the authorization of the Minister of the Economy conditional on buyout of the company to commitments from the foreign investor in terms of preserving the sustainability of activities, industrial capacities and research and development on French territory.
This seems to have been the case with the takeover of Seqens and that of Opella by an American investment fund. The absence of opposition to these sensitive repurchases demonstrates commitments made to ensure the continuity of the manufacturing of paracetamol in France by Seqens which, linked by supply contracts with Opella or UPSA, will continue to supply them to enable them to assemble Doliprane in Francefor the needs of the French market.
Why is Sanofi selling Doliprane?
Sanofi, for its part, ensures the future of the group and of French pharmacy: although very popular, Doliprane is in fact not very profitable. Sanofi intends through this sale to free up substantial funds to invest in therapeutic areas with higher added value, such as oncology or rare diseases. In this logic of diversification, the company acquired Provention Bio in 2023 for 2.9 billion USD and in May 2024, Inhibrx for 1.7 billion USD.
1731525457
#State #prevent #sale
Ensuring transparency in acquisition processes and reinforcing regulations around foreign investments in strategic industries. This approach could help safeguard the interests of the French market while still fostering an environment conducive to foreign capital influx.
Additionally, the creation of strategic partnerships between the government and pharmaceutical companies can promote innovation while ensuring that manufacturing capabilities remain within the country. Such collaborations would not only help maintain local supply chains but also reinforce France’s position in the global pharmaceutical landscape.
while attracting foreign investment is crucial for reindustrialization, the French government faces the challenge of balancing this with the need to protect its strategic industries from potential relocations. By exploring various avenues to retain some control and influence over foreign investments, France can enhance its resilience against future supply chain disruptions and ensure a more stable supply of essential medical products.
