Sanofi Escapes Fine in EU Vaccine Disparagement Probe — SkimNews
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- European Commission regulators accepted concessions from Sanofi to end an antitrust probe into an allegedly "misleading" campaign that disparaged the only rival flu vaccine recommended for vulnerable patients at risk of developing the illness.
- Sanofi avoided being fined under the settlement, despite the Commission alleging it portrayed CSL Seqirus's Fluad vaccine as inferior to its own Efluelda vaccine.
- Sanofi's campaign primarily targeted healthcare professionals in Germany and France, where the company holds a dominant market position, according to the European Commission.
- Sanofi committed to a corrective communication campaign rectifying its "possible disparaging behavior" and pledged to refrain from such conduct in the future.
- Teresa Riberta, the European Commission's executive vice president for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, said the agreement is legally binding.
- CSL Seqirus is the maker of the Fluad vaccine, the sole rival flu shot that was the target of Sanofi's alleged disparagement campaign.
Why it matters: By settling without a fine, Sanofi sidesteps financial penalty but is now bound by a corrective campaign and a legally binding commitment to stop disparaging CSL Seqirus's Fluad — a concession that hands rivals a formal record of the misconduct while Sanofi's dominant market position in Germany and France remains intact.
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