The State was in action on Monday at the Sanofi site which produces Doliprane in Lisieux (Calvados) to hear the concerns of employees and unions regarding the expected arrival of an American buyer.
The French pharmaceutical group announced at the end of last week that it had chosen the American investment fund CD&R to potentially cede control of its consumer healthcare entity, Opella, which markets the drug Doliprane.
In a statement to AFP on Monday, Sanofi explained that its choice of CD&R "is due in particular to the fact that it provides sufficient solidity and financial guarantees for maintaining and developing Opella's activities in France and around the world."
The Minister Delegate for Industry, Marc Ferracci, and the Minister of the Economy, Antoine Armand, travelled to visit the factory and talk with the staff on Monday.
The future of Doliprane also mobilized the mayor of Lisieux and several parliamentarians, around thirty people, including trade unionists.
The option of an American buyer is perceived "a bit like a betrayal towards France and towards all employees", said Johann Nicolas, union representative for the CGT Lisieux union. "Our first request is to stay with Sanofi!", he said, questioned by AFP.
"If the government doesn't get involved, I don't know how we're going to get out of this," he said.
– Macron attentive –
On the sidelines of a trip to the Paris Motor Show, President Emmanuel Macron affirmed that the government had "the instruments to guarantee that France is protected" in the perspective of a change in the capital of Opella.
Antoine Armand said he had "started discussions" with the stakeholders with a view to reaching a specific agreement on "extremely precise commitments", which will be "accompanied by guarantees" and "sanctions".
He also mentioned "the possibility of public shareholding and participation in governance within the framework of this agreement."
Among the required obligations, Marc Ferracci cites "the maintenance of the industrial footprint and industrial employment" on the French production sites of Lisieux and Compiegne (Oise).
According to him, there is also talk of "commitments on production volumes" and "on research and development" as well as the preservation of "the ecosystem of subcontractors".
"We fully agree with the positions taken by politicians who talk about health sovereignty," Humberto de Sousa, a CFDT union member, told AFP. He now expects "these commitments to be translated into action."
But "we don't know if the commitments will hold if the board of directors switches to the American side," he is wary, expressing concern for jobs in the face of "the search for profitability of this fund" which is taking over.
– another gathering planned –
The unions have planned a rally on the Compiègne factory site for Thursday between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., with the arrival of political figures, including the New Popular Front MP Francois Ruffin and the LR president of Hauts-de-France Xavier Bertrand, according to the central union delegate of Opella for the CFDT, Adil Bensetra.
Vigilance remains required because the supply of paracetamol has recently experienced periods of tension.
Sanofi insists that this split project would allow "the creation of a new world champion, the only one based in France, in the consumer healthcare sector."
Opella employs 1,700 people in France. Doliprane is its second brand in terms of revenue, France only represents around 10% of the sales of this entity which achieved 5.2 billion euros in turnover in 2023.
This is "a growth project that will give Doliprane its full place, both in our pharmacies and in our factories," repeated in Lisieux, the chairman of the board of directors of Sanofi, Frederic Oudea.
"Sanofi wants to be associated with this project, since we are keeping 50% of the capital. This is not a dry sale," he added.
In the battle for Doliprane, the CD&R fund was in competition with an offer led by the French investment fund PAI Partners backed by international investors.
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