Sanofi’s Massive ‘Oops!’

December 12, 2017 |

1 min read

Voyager Sinks as Sanofi Genzyme Opts Out of Parki

The company’s vaccine controversy could cause legal and image problems for years to come.

This opinion piece presents the opinions of the author. It does not necessarily reflect the views of BioSpace.

Sanofi has waded into a vaccine controversy that could cause legal and image problems for years to come. After acknowledging that its dengue fever vaccine could worsen symptoms in people not previously exposed to the virus, Sanofi has urged a risk-benefit calculation aimed at making sure that vaccination is properly targeted. While an estimated 90% of children in The Philippines ages 9 to 14 have been infected, the country has suspended the program. But with around 800,000 children already vaccinated in The Philippines, the damage is done. Sanofi certainly seems to have made some missteps with this program, although it’s certainly not easy to develop a vaccine like this--and companies may now be less inclide to try.

Read on for more legal news from December. -KT

Here’s a roundup of these stories and other top legal news from the past month.