Paul Hudson, the former CEO of Sanofi, abruptly stepped down in February, with a strong focus on innovation during his tenure. Upon leading the French pharmaceutical giant in 2019, the British executive initiated a broad transformation to refocus the company’s portfolio towards innovative medicines, aiming to establish it as an immunology champion. However, this strategy failed to convince the markets, leading to his departure. As the arrival of his successor, Belén Garijo, the current CEO of German lab Merck KGaA, approaches on April 26, Sanofi continues its trajectory.
The French group, which reported a revenue of €43.62 billion in 2025 (up 9.9% from the previous year), announced a collaboration on March 31 with the startup hub Station F to position itself at the forefront of capturing innovation at its source.
“This partnership will fully integrate cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital modeling, and data analysis into the core of our R&D activities,” explained Challenges Houman Ashrafian, Sanofi’s Executive Vice President in charge of Research and Development.
Starting in mid-May, selected startups will work with Sanofi’s digital and scientific teams on targeted projects for six months to test their technologies using Sanofi’s scientific expertise and proprietary data. These collaborations will focus on validating and accelerating the deployment of the most promising technological solutions aligned with the group’s strategic priorities, particularly in immunology and treatment discovery.
“With the incredibly talented and agile startup ecosystem, our goal is to expedite the development of new medicines and vaccines,” added Houman Ashrafian.
Context: Sanofi collaborates with Station F to foster innovation and incorporate advanced technologies into its R&D activities. The partnership aims to accelerate the development of new medicines and vaccines.
Fact Check: Paul Hudson stepped down as the CEO of Sanofi, and Belén Garijo will assume the role on April 26. Sanofi reported a revenue of €43.62 billion in 2025.
