Sanofi Unveils EUROAPI as Name of New European API Company

Sanofi has choosen EUROAPI as the name for the future European company dedicated to the development, production and marketing of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).

EUROAPI will represent the “made in Europe” API state-of-the-art industrial capabilities and technologies, with approximately €1 billion in expected sales by 2022. It will rank number 1 in small molecules API, and number 2 on the global API market, according to the company. Addressing recent increasing medicine shortages, EUROAPI will provide additional API supply capacities for Europe and beyond, and says it will help balance the industry’s heavy reliance on API sourced from other regions.

Sanofi has also appointed Karl Rotthier as the EUROAPI future chief executive officer, effective January 18th. Rotthier, 53 years old, is a seasoned leader with a strong API business experience. He was most recently the chief executive officer of Centrient Pharmaceuticals, and had the opportunity throughout his 29-years international career in the Netherands, Germany, Austria, Belgium and Singapore, to also drive operational carve-outs and spin-offs.

Rotthier will lead the creation of EUROAPI together with the new company management team towards its growth ambitions. EUROAPI will employ 3,200 employees and be headquartered in France. A planned IPO on Euronext Paris would be evaluated with a decision expected by 2022, subject to market conditions.

“We are very pleased today to unveil EUROAPI and welcome Karl to lead this future industry champion, as it gives further substance to our ambitious project,” said Philippe Luscan, executive vice president, global industrial affairs, Sanofi. “Sanofi is fully committed to the new company’s success, including by establishing a long-term customer relationship with EUROAPI and holding a minority stake of approximately 30% in it. To provide the optimal conditions for success, Sanofi intends the new company to be debt free in order to maximize its future investment capacities.”

Rotthier added, “I am particularly delighted to join EUROAPI and look forward to working with my colleagues in creating an agile, stand-alone company, able to unlock its growth potential in a market sustainably growing at a pace of 6% per year. Building on a strong industrial legacy built over decades and broad expertise and experience, EUROAPI would help secure a greater stability in supplying quality drugs to millions of patients worldwide.”

The project announced by Sanofi in February 2020, consists of creating a standalone company which will combine Sanofi’s API commercial and development activities with six of its European production sites: Brindisi (Italy), Frankfurt Chemistry (Germany), Haverhill (UK), St Aubin les Elbeuf (France), Újpest (Hungary) and Vertolaye (France). EUROAPI will have significant competitive strengths, including a broad portfolio of 200 APIs with both volume and niche products, high standards of quality and industrial means, competitive pricing and technologies across Europe, and will leverage an extensive commercial network covering more than 80 countries.