TORONTO and LYON, France, April 15 /CNW/ - Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines
division of sanofi-aventis Group, announced today that it is investing
100 million Canadian dollars in a new, state-of-the-art research facility at
the company's historic Connaught Campus in north Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to
boost innovation in vaccine research for the benefit of global health. The
investment includes the construction of an 80 million Canadian dollars
facility, the purchase of specialized research & development (R&D) equipment,
and the support of high-value R&D jobs over the next five years.
For this project, sanofi pasteur is pleased to partner with the
Government of Ontario, which will contribute 13.9 million Canadian dollars
through the Biopharmaceutical Investment Program (BIP). The BIP is
administered by the Ministry of Research and Innovation and is part of the
government's Next Generation of Jobs Fund.
"This new research in Ontario will not only create jobs, it will bring
hope to people affected by disease," said Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.
Construction of the 165,000 square-foot (15,000 square-meter) facility
will begin in 2008 and is projected to be ready for occupancy in 2010. This
significant investment aims at accelerating sanofi pasteur's ongoing research
activities based in Canada. With this announcement, sanofi pasteur has
invested over 300 million Canadian dollars in capital expansion at its
Connaught Campus located in Toronto since 2000.
"Today's announcement demonstrates sanofi pasteur's commitment to growing
research and development capabilities in Canada for new and innovative
vaccines that will help protect the health of people worldwide," said
Wayne Pisano, President and Chief Executive Officer of sanofi pasteur. "The
Connaught Campus is already recognized globally for the research, development
and manufacture of the five-component acellular pertussis vaccine. Global
demand for new and existing vaccines is anticipated to double by the year
2016, reinforcing the importance of continued investment in research and
development."
Research conducted at the new facility will help support the company's
global research and development efforts to improve existing vaccines and
create new vaccines. Research targets will include pediatric combination
vaccines, pneumococcal protein vaccines, and cancer vaccines. The new facility
is part of an ongoing commitment to research and development in the area of
immunology.
In addition to being a state-of-the art vaccine research and development
facility, the new R&D facility will incorporate a number of new technologies
to reduce environmental impact. A heat reclamation system will reduce heating
and cooling requirements, the insulated building panels and glass structure
will reduce energy consumption, and the building will be fitted with
energy-efficient lighting. The facility's electrical and steam requirements
will be serviced by the company's natural gas-powered cogeneration system.
Sanofi Pasteur has a tradition of more than 90-years of protecting and
safeguarding the public health of Canadians. Along with innovation in
acellular pertussis vaccines, sanofi pasteur also supplies the only conjugate
vaccine in Canada that protects against four of the five strains of bacteria
that cause meningococcal meningitis. Sanofi Pasteur invests approximately
100 million Canadian dollars in R&D annually in Canada.
About sanofi-aventis
Sanofi-aventis, a leading global pharmaceutical company, discovers,
develops and distributes therapeutic solutions to improve the lives of
everyone. Sanofi-aventis is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York
(NYSE: SNY).
Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, provided
more than a 1.6 billion doses of vaccine in 2007, making it possible to
immunize more than 500 million people across the globe. A world leader in the
vaccine industry, sanofi pasteur offers the broadest range of vaccines
protecting against 20 infectious diseases. The company's heritage, to create
vaccines that protect life, dates back more than a century. Sanofi Pasteur is
the largest company entirely dedicated to vaccines. Every day, the company
invests more than EUR1 million in research and development. For more
information, please visit: www.sanofipasteur.com or www.sanofipasteur.ca
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking
statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements
include financial projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions,
statements regarding plans, objectives, intentions and expectations with
respect to future events, operations, products and services, and statements
regarding future performance. Forward-looking statements are generally
identified by the words "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "intends,"
"estimates," "plans" and similar expressions. Although sanofi-aventis'
management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking
statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that forward-looking
information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties,
many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of
sanofi-aventis, that could cause actual results and developments to differ
materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the
forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties
include those discussed or identified in the public filings with the SEC and
the AMF made by sanofi-aventis, including those listed under "Risk Factors"
and "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in
sanofi-aventis' annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31,
2007. Other than as required by applicable law, sanofi-aventis does not
undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information
or statements.
/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available on
the CNW Photo Network and archived at http://photos.newswire.ca.
Additional archived images are also available on the CNW Photo Archive
website at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited
members of the media/
For further information: Global Media Relations, Pascal Barollier, T.
+33-(0)4-37-37-50-38, Pascal.barollier@sanofipasteur.com,
www.sanofipasteur.com; Canada Media Relations, Nancy Simpson, T. (416)
667-2955, nancy.simpson@sanofipasteur.com, www.sanofipasteur.ca
Premier Dalton McGuinty and Mark Lievonen, President, Sanofi Pasteur Limited are helped by a number of politicians and sanofi-aventis Group executives to break ground on a new $100 million state-of-the-art research facility at sanofi pasteur's Connaught Campus today. (CNW Group/Sanofi Pasteur)
