Behind the awkward exit of Paul Hudson, the CEO of Sanofi who announced on Wednesday May 13 that when his vaccine against Covid-19 would be ready, he “would first serve the United States… because they invested to try to protect their population ”, hides a pejorative economic and organizational reality for France and Europe. The latter does not bode well for negotiations on the release of the vaccine, in a few months at the earliest. The time for the European countries, among others, to organize themselves against the American hegemony which naturally took place.
We would like to believe that Sanofi is a French pharmaceutical laboratory… Major error! With less than 15% French capital (including nearly 10% belonging to the multinational L’Oréal), and a turnover of 35 billion euros in 2018, which breaks down into 72.6% outside Europe , and 5% for France, we understand that most of the business is American…
The laboratory has in fact only French people, only its head office, avenue de la Boétie, in Paris, and a board of directors with strong French participation headed by Serge Weinberg, a French businessman, also president of Weinberg Capital. Partners. We also await his reaction to the dumpling of the real executive boss of Sanofi, the British Paul Hudson, who in his Paris office, must bite his fingers for his clumsy exit at Bloomberg.
An “awkward exit”
He defends himself by saying that the article which announces that “theAmericans will have priority on orders for a possible vaccine against Covid-19, because they funded the research before the others”, was taken out of context by the journalist. Easy argument, always used when the embarrassment is maximum and the facts irrefutable.
The president of Sanofi France, Olivier Bogillot, who had come out rather well of the relocation of the manufacture of paracetamol, the hydroxychloroquine crisis (laboratory drug) and the shortages of products in intensive care, would have done well without the angry call. of Olivier Véran, the Minister of Health, last night. He was quick to try to clear the air with a brief statement and continued today in the French media, speaking of “awkward exit” of his boss at the global level…
It is likely that the anger will not go down anytime soon, as the outcry has been widespread throughout the political class. A condemnation without appeal!
A new vaccine… not yet born
We are especially very surprised by the timing of this statement. Firstly because Sanofi-Pasteur (this is the name of the vaccine division of the laboratory), is not particularly ahead of the development of a vaccine. One wonders, moreover, what Pasteur will be able to say on this subject, but the height of the participation of the institute in their agreement undoubtedly does not authorize him to comment beyond a legitimate anger. The reaction of the GSK laboratory (English) which joined the project will be more interesting to observe…
In short, there was no urgency to be interested in the distribution of this new vaccine not yet born! The Pfizer laboratory, which seems closer to the Holy Grail (we are talking about the end of the year) was careful not to make the slightest statement on the subject.
The “America First” demonstration
So why this statement? A mistake ? It’s hard to believe it at this level in the company… We must rather put the story in the context of the “Barda”: a trompe-l’oeil name for French-speakers, given to an organization that is part of the Ministry of American Health. La Barda, (Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority) is an advanced biomedical research and development authority, which was (it is the ministry’s website that says so) created to help protect the United States against “chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats as well as against pandemic influenza and emerging infectious diseases.”
A Barda which very quickly became an argument for the demonstration of Donald Trump’s famous “America First”. With, it must be recognized, colossal financial means. The equivalent of “whatever the price is” of our French president, but with a very real image. This Barda, in the name of a pragmatism that cannot be reproached to it, went to collect, almost everywhere, funds and additional projects, from pharmaceutical laboratories, including Sanofi.
The pharmaceutical industry remains a profit industry
Donald Trump does not have time to wait for the realization of the vaccine to make it a (big) political argument, for his re-election. So we have to give him popular arguments… Clearly, there was no urgency to think about the distribution of the vaccine, but rather to reassure American voters! What was done clumsily by Paul Hudson, to the detriment of Europeans and the rest of the world.
This was without taking into account the extreme sensitivity shared by all the inhabitants of our planet on the evolution of tools to defeat this virus and the obligation of a fair and universal solution. Those who do not understand this expose themselves to uncontrollable reactions.
However, this sad story teaches us two things. First, that the pharmaceutical industry remains a profit industry, which, after a two-month hiatus, quickly returned to shareholder expectations, while the crisis remains rooted in people’s flesh for a long time to come.
Upcoming negotiations that will require vigilance, perseverance and open-mindedness
Then, that this “next world” that many talk about, goes through a reflection, then changes to our bad habits of the past. In this example, the absence of a European structure like this Barda which — and this is Sanofi’s defense argument — forces pharmaceutical companies to negotiate in Europe, country by country, which is totally unsuited to situations like the one we live in. It’s obvious, but it would have been better not to put the cart before the horse.
The problem solved, probably by a new press release from Paul Hudson, it will be necessary to bear in mind that the rules of the “day after” will not be discussions of nice utopians, but negotiations for which it will be necessary to be very vigilant. , perseverance and open-mindedness. Without concessions and collectively!
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