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 in the face of the anticipated 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 health 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 to maintain and develop Opella’s activities in France and around the world. “.
But the unions and a large part of the political class are worried about the consequences of such a sale for health sovereignty and the 250 jobs at the Normandy site.
The Minister Delegate for Industry Marc Ferracci and the Minister of the Economy Antoine Armand traveled on Monday to visit the factory and speak with the staff.
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 seen “a bit like a betrayal towards France and towards all employees”, said Johann Nicolas, CGT Lisieux union representative. “Our first request is to remain Sanofi!”, he said, interviewed by AFP.
“If the government doesn’t get its hands in this, I don’t know how we’re going to get through it,” he believes.
– 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 Opella’s capital.
Antoine Armand said he had “started discussions” with stakeholders with a view to 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 obligations required, Marc Ferracci cites “the maintenance of the industrial footprint and industrial employment” on the French production sites of Lisieux and Compiègne (Oise).
It is also a question, according to him, of “commitments on production volumes” and “on research and development” as well as the preservation of the “ecosystem of subcontractors”.
“We completely agree with the positions taken by politicians who talk about health sovereignty,” Humberto de Sousa, a CFDT trade unionist who now expects “these commitments to translate into action,” told AFP.
But “we don’t know if the commitments will hold if the board of directors switches to the American side”, he is wary, showing concern for jobs in the face of “the search for profitability of this buyer fund”.
– another gathering planned –
The unions have planned a rally for Thursday on the Compiègne factory site between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., with the arrival of political figures, including the New Popular Front deputy François Ruffin and the LR president of Hauts-de-France Xavier Bertrand, according to the central union representative of Opella for the CFDT, Adil Bensetra.
Vigilance remains essential because the supply of paracetamol has recently experienced periods of tension.
Sanofi insists that this split project would allow “the creation of a new global champion, the only one based in France, in the consumer health 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 which will give Doliprane its full place, both in our pharmacies and in our factories”, reiterated in Lisieux, the chairman of the board of directors of Sanofi, Frédéric Oudéa.
“Sanofi wishes to be associated with this project, since we keep 50% of the capital. It 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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