Sanofi Pasteur

Sanofi Pasteur is the vaccines division of the French multinational pharmaceutical company Sanofi. Sanofi Pasteur is the largest company in the world devoted entirely to vaccines. It is one of four global producers of the yellow fever vaccine. Sanofi Biogenius Canada Since 1992, Sanofi Pasteur has sponsored Sanofi Biogenius Canada (SBC), a national, biotechnology-focused science competition for Canadian high school and CEGEP students. Those selected for the SBC work with local mentors, giving students hands-on research experience in a professional lab setting. Participants compile their results and present their findings at regional competitions. Cash prizes are awarded and regional winners advance to the National stage, where they vie for the top spot and the chance to compete in the International BioGENEius Challenge, held at the prestigious BIO International Convention – the largest biotechnology event in the world. In 2004, Aventis merged with and into Sanofi. The new Sanofi-Aventis Group became the world's 3rd largest pharmaceutical company. Aventis Pasteur, the vaccine division of Sanofi-Aventis Group, changed its name to Sanofi Pasteur. In 2014, Sanofi Pasteur stopped producing its effective Fav-Afrique antivenom because competition from cheaper though less powerful competitors made it unprofitable. Doctors Without Borders said that it would take two years to develop a similar antivenom, and that existing stocks would run out in June 2016. In the fall of 2011 the Sanofi Pasteur plant flooded, causing problems with mold. The facility, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, produced BCG vaccine products made with the Glaxo 1077 strain, such as a tuberculosis vaccine and ImmuCYST, a BCG immunotherapeutic and bladder cancer drug. By April 2012 the FDA had found dozens of documented problems with sterility at the plant including mold, nesting birds and rusted electrical conduits. The resulting closure of the plant for over two years resulted in shortages of bladder cancer and tuberculosis vaccines.