Sanofi is suspected of spreading false information and price manipulation around its drug Dupixent. The National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) has opened a preliminary investigation against the pharmaceutical giant, the investigative media La Lettre said on Tuesday. The research, entrusted to the Paris financial brigade, focuses on the financial communication surrounding the launch at the end of 2017 of Dupixent, which has since become one of the laboratory’s star drugs, indicates La Lettre.
According to this media specializing in investigation, the PNF investigation was opened in September. Questioned by AFP, the group claimed not to be “aware” of an investigation. Also contacted by the AFP, the PNF could not immediately be contacted.
A blockbuster drug
Used in particular to treat asthma and eczema, Dupixent – by its scientific name dupilumab – is a blockbuster, that is to say a drug which brings in more than a billion euros per year for the laboratory. In the third quarter, sales of Dupixent (developed by Sanofi and its American partner Regeneron) increased by 32.8%, to 2.847 billion euros.
The pharmaceutical giant’s quarterly turnover reached 11.964 billion euros. Over the first nine months of 2023, Dupixent sales reached 7.725 billion euros, up 35.1%.