FRENCH pharma giant Sanofi has announced former Merck KGaA CEO Belen Garijo as its new CEO, taking over from Paul Hudson whose tenure was ended early.
Garijo will take up the role after the group's annual general meeting on 29 Apr, 2026.
The first woman to be appointed CEO at Sanofi, Garijo is also the oldest appointee at 65 years old, requiring a shareholder vote at the AGM to raise the age limit for commencement of the role.
Board member Olivier Charmeil will serve as acting CEO in the meantime.
Industry commentators observed that Hudson had made positive changes in his six years there, but fell short on drug development to replace blockbuster drugs - particularly Dupixent - going off patent.
As one of the world's largest vaccine manufacturers, the group has also faced pressure from US policy changes.
Hudson's departure is one of several recent high profile exits in the pharma industry.
CSL announced the sudden retirement of CEO Paul McKenzie last week (PD 12 Feb), while Novo Nordisk's CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen was abruptly removed last year amid increased competition in the weight loss drugs sector.
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