Respiratory Syncytial Virus Toddler vaccine (Sanofi Pasteur)

Sanofi posted robust third-quarter sales on Friday, backed by the continued growth of its blockbuster drug Dupixent. But the French pharma said its Q3 vaccine sales dipped about 8% from the same time last year to €3.4 billion ($3.9 billion), primarily due to a slowdown in its influenza franchise. There’s been a “negative buzz” around vaccines in general, CFO François Roger said on a call with the media. The slowdown was also driven by “a combination of competitive price pressure, mainly in Germany, and lower vaccination rates,” he added. Its vaccine pipeline also has one fewer asset, following the termination of a Phase 3 trial testing a live-attenuated candidate SP0125 to curb RSV in toddlers. The decision was based on “insufficient efficacy,” a spokesperson told Endpoints News in an email. Nonetheless, Sanofi pulled in €12.4 billion in total in the quarter, marking a 7% hike from the same time last year. Dupixent largely supported the company’s Q3 success. Sales of the immunology drug rose 26% to €4.2 billion, marking the first time it exceeded €4 billion in a single quarter. The drug saw growth across all eight of its approved indications, Sanofi said. “Dupixent continues its exceptional trajectory, with a 32% increase in the number of active patients treated worldwide year-on-year,” Roger said. With the drug set to lose its patent exclusivity in about six years’ time, the race is on to fill the void. Sanofi has inked several major deals so far this year, including acquisitions of Vigil Neuroscience , Vicebio and Blueprint Medicines , as well as Dren Bio ’s B cell-depleting antibody drug. Roger said Sanofi is “not in a desperate situation” to address the upcoming patent cliff because it has time and financial resources. CEO Paul Hudson highlighted in a release that sales of Sanofi’s newly-launched medicines and vaccines grew by just over 40%. Sanofi’s shares rose by as much as 4% on the Paris exchange early Friday. The stock bump contrasts with Roche, which saw its stock dip almost 3% Thursday after sales for some of its drugs missed analyst projections for the quarter. Meanwhile, Roger said Sanofi is in active discussions with the Trump administration about drug pricing, but declined to disclose details of what a deal could look like. His comments mirror those of Roche CEO Thomas Schinecker during the Swiss pharma’s earnings call with the media on Thursday. In September, Sanofi expanded its savings program in the US to offer a 30-day supply of insulin to all patients with a prescription for $35. AstraZeneca and Pfizer have struck broader deals that will see some of their drugs discounted by as much as 85%.