Sanofi CEO Chris Viebacher (photo) wants his company to avoid the peaks and valleys that come with blockbuster drugs such as Lovenox, a $2 billion-a-year anti-clotting drug that's now facing generic competition. Instead, he's looking at emerging markets, consumer health products and generic medicines to help boost revenue, as well as focusing more on deals for drugs aimed at smaller patient groups. That may help explain Sanofi's interest in Genzyme--a biotech company that makes treatments for a variety of rare diseases. Such drugs are rarely susceptible to generic competition. "Above all, what I'm looking for is businesses that are not dependent on patents," Viehbacher told the AP in an interview. "This is my fourth patent cliff in my career and I'm looking to avoid a fifth."
- read the AP report for more