French drugmaker Sanofi appoints Belén Garijo as new CEO

French drugmaker Sanofi SASY.PA said on Thursday it had appointed Belén Garijo as its new chief executive after deciding not to renew the mandate of current CEO Paul Hudson.

The company, among the world's largest vaccine makers, released a string of underwhelming trial updates last year while pursuing bolt-on acquisitions in search of new medicines that could help drive growth once its blockbuster asthma drug Dupixent loses key patents in the early 2030s.

Hudson had said in January that 2026 would be a good time for dealmaking after the company forecast high-single-digit overall sales growth this year, despite an expected drop in vaccines sales weighed by vaccine scepticism in the U.S.

Sanofi said in a statement on Thursday that Hudson would step down as of February 17, while Garijo will take the role at the end of the group's shareholder meeting on April 29. Sanofi board member Olivier Charmeil will act as CEO during the transition.

Garijo worked for 15 years at Sanofi and was a board member at French cosmetics giant L'Oreal OREP.PA and CEO of German maker of pharmaceuticals and specialty materials Merck KGaA MRCG.DE.

"She has the experience and profile to accelerate the pace, strengthen the quality of execution of strategy and lead the next growth cycle of the company", Sanofi chairman Frederic Oudea said in a statement.

Outgoing CEO Hudson did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Revenue from Sanofi's vaccine unit over the last few years https://reut.rs/4t80mqa

Sales of Sanofi and Regeneron's top-selling asthma drug Dupixent https://reut.rs/49NmKgX

-Reporting by Alessandro Parodi in Gdansk, editing by Matt Scuffham/Reuters