Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sanofi And Mainz Biomed To Uplevel Europe's Pharma Game

On Sunday, Pfizer PFE and AstraZeneca Plc AZN were among the pharmaceutical companies who announced they will be investing a total of nearly $1 billion in their operations in France, just ahead of this year’s “Choose France” business summit. Together with the domestic Sanofi SNY, Pfizer, AstraZeneca will together invest €1.87 billion which is more than $2 billion to expand their operations in the country.

AstraZeneca committed 365 million euros, which is about $394 million, to enhance its facilities at its French manufacturing facility in Dunkirk. Pfizer pledged even more, making a commitment to invest 500 million euros or $540 million over the next five years to boost its French R&D capabilities. The leading investor is the Parisian drugmaker, Sanofi, who commited to invest 1 billion euros or $1.1 billion to expand its manufacturing capacity across three of its French sites. With this ambitious biomanufacturing investment, Sanofi promises to significantly strengthen France’s ability to control the production of its medicines from start to finish. Moreover, Sanofi made an agreement with a biotech company Novavax to join forces in both expanding access to COVID-19 vaccines, as well as to explore the development of a next-generation flu and COVID-19 combination shot. The latest strategic move with which Sanofi gained access to Novavax’s innovative vaccine technology is one of the ways the French company is trying to find new growth avenues amid a competitive landscape.

According to a document from the French government, AbbVie Inc ABB, GSK plc GSK, Novartis AG NVS and even Johnson & Johnson JNJ’s health spinoff Kenvue Inc KVUE are also planning to increase their presence in France. 

According to the French government, AbbVie commited to spend 36 million euros or $39 million to add jobs at its aesthetic medicine facility in Annecy-Pringy while Novartis will invest 30 million euros or $32 million in the creation of a production unit for for a specific treatment of prostate cancer. Kenvue commited invest 10.7 million euros or $11.6 million in the country. By doing so, Kenvue will create 45 jobs. Also, Kenvue is to expand production of four products at its facility in Normandy.

While France is fighting for its place under the pharmaceutical sun, Germany is home to Bayer Aktiengesellschaft BAYRY, a global titan in the pharmaceutical and life sciences arena, and Merck & Co Inc MRK that established itself as a leader on several fronts as it develops innovative treatments for a range of medical conditions, from chronic diseases to rare disorders. Together with Moderna Inc MRNA, Merck developed an experimental mRNA cancer vaccine to treat melanoma. Merck and Moderna ended 2023 by reporting the benefits of the treatment that combines their vaccine with Keytruda, Merck’s blockbuster drug, hold up after three years, more specifically, they lower the chance of recurrence or death from melanoma by half. Moreover, with this vaccine that trains the patient’s immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells, Merck and Moderna announced they will expand their research to treating a non-small cell lung cancer.

But Germany is also home to smaller companies that are making a big difference in the world, like Mainz Biomed N.V. MYNZ. Mainz Biomed is a molecular genetics diagnostics company that specializes in the early detection of cancer. It is expected to unveil breaktrhough early cancer detection results  from its eAArly DETECT study at Digestive Disease Week 2024 in Washington D.C. that will kick off on May 18th. eAArly DETECT is a US multi-site study that enrolled 254 clinical patients across 21 specialized gastroenterology sites. Mainz Biomed will report the results of its colorectal cancer screening test  that combines Fecal Immunochemical Test, DNA and mRNA biomarkers with a AI learning algorithm to differentiate between colorectal cancer, advanced adenomas, non-advanced adenomas and patient samples with no findings. Besides improving early detection rates and therefore, simultaneously lowering cancer mortality rates with its non-invasive and easy at-home test ColoAlert, Mainz Biomed is also accelerating the shift to prevention by advancing screening practices for precancerous conditions. While ColoAlert is already marketed across Europe, Mainz Biomed is also developing PancAlert, a pancreatic cancer screening test.

All in all, the above examples show that Europe is determined to fight for the pharmaceutical throne, and it is already home to life-changing breakthroughs.

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