The French pharmaceutical giant is finalising a major deal amid public concerns about healthcare sovereignty.
On April 30, 2025, French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi announced the completion of a major deal that has sent shockwaves through the healthcare sector.
Sanofi has completed the sale of 50% of its subsidiary Opella, the manufacturer of Doliprane, to American investment company CD&R. The deal, valued at approximately €10 billion, marks a radical change in the ownership structure of one of France’s most popular medicines.
Doliprane, a popular paracetamol-based painkiller, has long been a staple in French households: according to Assurance maladie, more than 300 million packs of the drug had been dispensed in the country by mid-2024. This makes it the most popular medicine in France, significantly ahead of its closest competitor, Dafalgan, which was prescribed only 75 million times during the same period.
“This change in shareholding structure changes nothing: Doliprane will remain in France for the French,” Opella CEO Julie Van Ongevalle assured shareholders at Sanofi’s general meeting. Given our commitments in the social, employment and investment fields, we have taken into account the interests of all parties,” said Sanofi’s chairman of the board of directors, former banker Frédéric Oudéa.
Wave of French outrage
The sale of Opella marks a turning point not only for Sanofi but also for the French pharmaceutical industry as a whole. It highlights the delicate balance between corporate strategy and public sentiment, especially when it comes to essential medicines such as Doliprane. As Opella takes on its new role under American leadership, France will be watching closely to see how this change affects the availability and production of one of its most trusted medicines.
Meanwhile, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, leader of the party Debout la France (France Arise), commented:
“Doliprane, a symbol of our pharmaceutical sovereignty, is officially passing under the American flag. For €16 billion, Sanofi is selling 50% of Opella to the CD&R fund, putting profit before national interests. Another loss of strategic control for France. And the government is allowing it…”
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of France Unbowed (LFI), wrote on X:
“Doliprane is now American. Sanofi sold it for €10 billion. Liberals talk about reindustrialisation, but they are organising the plundering of our industry. They have destroyed this country and dare to give lessons. We must think and plan. We need to organise reviews of industrial sovereignty to determine the country’s needs.”
