As private equity firms reportedly place their bids, Sanofi may soon follow in the footsteps of GSK and Johnson & Johnson with the separation of its consumer health unit.
Sanofi has received separate offers from private equity firms PAI Partners and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice for its consumer health business, which could be valued at 15 billion euros ($16.7 billion) or more, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing people close to the matter.
Sanofi will likely make a decision on the fate of its consumer health unit in the coming days, Bloomberg’s sources said. Sanofi could pursue a spinoff if the proposed deals fall short, the anonymous sources added.
PAI and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice were both singled out as potential buyers in a separate Bloomberg report from June.
When reached for comment, Sanofi pointed Fierce Pharma to an announcement from Oct. 2023 stating that the company was reviewing potential separation scenarios for its consumer health business, with a transaction expected in 2024’s fourth quarter “at the earliest.”
Sanofi has yet to decide on the fate of its consumer health business and expects to “select the best option for Sanofi and its stakeholders in the next few months,” the spokesperson added.
“We are keeping all options open, including a listing, and a sale, to maximize value creation for all our stakeholders,” the spokesperson said, promising to provide more information as the situation evolves.
In its original announcement, Sanofi noted that the “most likely path” forward for the business would be a capital markets transaction to create a listed entity in France.
Sanofi’s consumer health business pulled in 5.2 billion euros ($5.6 billion) in 2023, representing 11% of the French pharma’s total revenue. Sanofi’s consumer health arm sells popular household brands such as Allegra for allergies, Gold Bond powder, Icy Hot muscle pain reliever and Selsun Blue shampoo.
Spinning off consumer health units has become a popular trend among large pharma companies—though Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson said Monday that the company is interested in keeping a stake in its unit once the separation is done, according to Reuters.
Last year, J&J spun off its consumer health business under the brand name Kenvue, following similar moves by Pfizer and GSK in 2022.
This post was originally published on here
