Sanofi

Belén Garijo, appointed first female CEO of Sanofi The top healthcare stories this week include Sanofi's new CEO, Novo Nordisk's growth in the weight loss medication sector and Colgate-Palmolive's progress How Can Sanofi's First Female CEO Transform the Company? The French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi has appointed Belén Garijo, the current Chief Executive of Merck KGaA, as its new CEO from April. The appointment represents a historic moment for the company, as Belén becomes the first woman to hold the top position. In a company statement, Sanofi confirmed the leadership transition, with its Board of Directors announcing: "It decided not to renew the Director mandate of Paul Hudson", noting that his "last day as Chief Executive Officer will be on 17 February 2026 at the end of business". The decision brings to a close Hudson's six-year leadership period, which could be characterised by extensive restructuring efforts and significant R&D investment, alongside clinical disappointments and growing shareholder discontent. How Wegovy Weight-Loss Drug is Driving Novo Nordisk Growth Wegovy pill (Credit: Novo Nordisk) Novo Nordisk has revealed plans to expand its production facility in Ireland to manufacture its popular weight-loss treatment Wegovy, making the drug more accessible to patients beyond the US market. CEO Mike Doustdar confirmed to Bloomberg in an interview that the company's Athlone facility in Ireland will undergo expansion. The move forms part of Novo Nordisk 's broader strategy to reclaim its position in the weight-loss market, where the pharmaceutical company has been competing since losing ground to rival Eli Lilly , the maker of injectable treatment Zepbound. "If we were about to throw in the towel we would not be investing in factories in Ireland," Mike says. Ireland is a significant global centre for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturing, consistently ranking among the world's leading exporters of medicinal and pharmaceutical products. Colgate-Palmolive: Imagining a Healthier Future for All Ann Tracy's work at Colgate-Palmolive is reinforcing what effective corporate sustainability leadership could look like. Her fifth-place ranking in Sustainability Magazine's Top 250 Leaders 2026 reflects a Chief Sustainability Officer who consistently connects environmental goals with healthcare outcomes and commercial performance. Leading Colgate-Palmolive's Global Sustainability & Social Impact strategy, she is guiding one of the world's best-known consumer goods companies towards a net zero, circular and more inclusive future. "We are Colgate-Palmolive , a caring, innovative growth company that is reimagining a healthier future for all people, their pets and our planet," Ann said in the foreword of the company's 2024 Sustainability and Social Impact Report." Virginie Helias: How P&G Champions Healthcare Sustainability Virginie Helias, Chief Sustainaiblity Officer at Proctor & Gamble Virginie Helias, Chief Sustainability Officer at Procter & Gamble , has secured sixth place in Sustainability Magazine 's Top 250 Sustainability Leaders 2026 . The recognition highlights her dedication to integrating sustainability throughout the company's operations, with a dual focus on minimising environmental impact and supporting communities through health and hygiene initiatives. Why is the UK Planning to Invest US$2.2bn in Healthcare AI? The UK Government has unveiled its first-ever AI strategy aimed at driving innovation across multiple sectors, including healthcare. This includes a £1.6bn (US$2.2bn) investment dedicated to AI research and development. As AI continues to shape the future of science and medicine, this investment plans to accelerate breakthroughs in health, energy and beyond. Company portals AbbVie Colgate-Palmolive Eli Lilly Johnson & Johnson Novo Nordisk Pfizer Procter & Gamble (P&G) Sanofi UK Government UK Research and Innovation University of Cambridge Executives Ann Tracy Chief Sustainability Officer Belén Garijo Incoming CEO David Lammy Deputy Prime Minister Kanishka Narayan UK AI Minister Marc Pritchard Chief Brand Officer Maziar Mike Doustdar President and CEO Paul Hudson CEO Professor Charlotte Deane Senior Responsible Owner for the UKRI AI Programme Virginie Helias Chief Sustainability Officer

Insmed guides for $1B in Brinsupri salesBiogen bins mid-stage MS studyModerna's mNEXSPIKE faces patent suitInsmed guides for $1B in Brinsupri salesHaving been approved in the US last August, and subsequently authorised in the EU, as the first treatment for non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB), Insmed now expects Brinsupri (brensocatib) to generate revenue of at least $1 billion in 2026. "Our US commercial launch…continues to exceed our expectations," said CEO Will Lewis.The oral, once-daily DPP1 inhibitor — designed to block the activation of neutrophil serine proteases in neutrophils that are responsible for the underlying inflammation in NCFB — generated sales of $144.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2025 and $172.7 million for the full year.Insmed expects regulatory decisions for Brinsupri for the treatment of NCFB in the UK and Japan in 2026. However, the company cautioned that it "continues to evaluate the potential effect of evolving US policies," which could impact the timing of potential international commercial launches.-Matthew DennisBiogen bins mid-stage MS study Biogen this week terminated the Phase II FUSION study evaluating BIIB091 in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to an update on ClinicalTrials.gov. The candidate, a reversible, non-covalent BTK inhibitor, was being studied alone or in combination with diroximel fumarate; the trial had enrolled 127 patients. The study discontinuation comes as at least one BTK inhibitor seems to have found its footing in MS. While the drug class has shown tantalising promise in treating the disease, none have yet reached the finish line — though Roche's fenebrutinib may be nearing approval (see – Physician Views Results: Neurologists share cautious optimism for Roche's fenebrutinib in PPMS).However, Sanofi was recently hit with a controversial FDA rejection for its BTK inhibitor, tolebrutinib, to treat non-relapsing secondary progressive MS. For more on how BTK inhibitors may shake up the MS treatment landscape, see KOL Views Q&A: What Sanofi’s PERSEUS, Roche’s FENtrepid divergence says about BTK inhibitors in MS.-Elizabeth EatonModerna's mNEXSPIKE faces patent suit BioNTech has filed a patent infringement lawsuit alleging that Moderna's next-generation COVID-19 vaccine unlawfully infringes on a patent related to the German company's own mRNA shot, Comirnaty. The complaint, filed Thursday in US District Court for the District of Delaware, claims Moderna's mNEXSPIKE infringes US Patent No. 12,133,899, which covers a streamlined mRNA vaccine design that allows for lower dosing. The case intensifies a long-running legal battle between the companies behind two of the world's most successful COVID-19 vaccines. BioNTech developed Comirnaty with Pfizer, while Moderna brought its own shot, Spikevax, to market in late 2020. In 2022, Moderna sued BioNTech and Pfizer, claiming they "unlawfully copied" its mRNA inventions to make Comirnaty; that case remains ongoing. Moderna recently highlighted mNEXSPIKE, which was approved by the FDA in 2025, as a significant growth driver with expected approvals this year in Europe and Japan. According to BioNTech's complaint, mNEXSPIKE accounted for 55% of COVID-19 vaccines sold by Moderna in the 2025-2026 respiratory virus season. A spokesperson for Moderna said Thursday it would defend itself against the new allegations.-Anna Bratulic

iStock, valiantsin suprunovich Tracy Beth Høeg addressed FDA staffers for the first time in her role as the fifth CDER chief under President Donald Trump, announcing inquiries into the use of SSRIs in pregnancy and RSV antibodies in infants despite well-documented safety of these treatments. Tracy Beth Høeg, acting director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, has announced plans to look into the safety of antidepressants and the antibodies used to immunize infants against respiratory syncytial virus infection. “I’ve been interested to learn we really haven’t been doing sort of thorough safety monitoring of these products during pregnancy, and so I think we could do a better job,” Høeg told FDA staff, according to Thursday reporting from STAT News , which obtained a recording of her first address as the top drug regulator. Formerly FDA Commissioner Marty Makary’s aide, Høeg took the reins at CDER in December 2025 following the abrupt retirement of longtime FDA veteran Richard Pazdur . She is the fifth person to head the division under the second Trump administration. In speaking with her staff this week, Høeg highlighted her interest in women’s health, particularly during pregnancy, and said that there was a need to conduct more randomized studies in this population. As part of this push, she will scrutinize a drug class called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), which are commonly used as first-line treatments for depression, anxiety disorders and other mental health conditions. An FDA expert panel led by Høeg and Makary in July 2025 outlined the risks of using SSRIs during pregnancy, noting the potential for birth defects. However, professional organizations like the American Psychiatric Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists blasted the panel, underscoring the importance of SSRIs as a tool to control mental health problems that pregnant women commonly endure. FDA FDA Expert Panels Lack Balance in Pursuit of ‘Gold Standard Science’ New FDA expert panels, such as recent meetings on SSRI use during pregnancy and on hormone replacement therapy during menopause, are drawing criticism for being one-sided. One leader says such panels are designed to reach a specific conclusion. September 8, 2025 · 6 min read · Ben Hargreaves Read More Steven Fleischman, ACOG president, called the panel “alarmingly unbalanced” in a statement at the time , arguing that “robust evidence has shown that SSRIs are safe in pregnancy and that most do not increase the risk of birth defects.” Fleischman added that “untreated depression in pregnancy can put our patients at risk for substance use, preterm birth, preeclampsia, limited engagement in medical care and self-care, low birth weight, impaired attachment with their infant, and even suicide.” Aside from SSRIs, Høeg on Thursday also said that she would be looking into the use of monoclonal antibodies in infants to protect against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Currently, there are two such therapies on the market: Sanofi and AstraZeneca’s Beyfortus and Merck’s Enflonsia. The safety probe on RSV antibodies was first reported in December 2025. At the time, senior executives at these pharma companies were informed that a safety investigation was ongoing, though it wasn’t clear what information the FDA needed from them. In her address on Thursday, Høeg said that “potential increased risk of seizures, febrile seizures, due to the RSV monoclonal antibodies is something else that we’re looking at,” according to STAT . The CDC itself found no such increased seizure risk in a June 2025 report . Vaccines FDA Launches Probe Into Safety of Approved Anti-RSV Antibodies The FDA has informed Merck, Sanofi and AstraZeneca of the safety investigation into their RSV antibodies, though it remains unclear what regulatory action, if any, will be taken. December 10, 2025 · 2 min read · Tristan Manalac Read More