Sanofi and Eight Pharmaceutical Giants Call on Europe to Restore Its Competitiveness
In an open letter published on September 22, 2026, the chairmen of nine pharmaceutical groups, including Sanofi, call on national leaders to act to strengthen Europe's attractiveness for sector investments.
The text positions the restoration of European pharmaceutical competitiveness in the face of the United States and China as a strategic priority.
A Joint Call from Nine Chairmen of the Board
The open letter is co-signed by the chairmen of the boards of AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi Group, Ipsen, GSK, Novo, Novartis, Roche and Sanofi. The signatories present the pharmaceutical sector as one of the continent's successes since the Second World War, built on investment in science and European universities.
They indicate that from their board positions, they observe Europe losing ground to global competition. The text cites more than 600 billion dollars in pharmaceutical investments announced in the United States and China over the past two years.
Action Levers Entrusted to National Governments
The signatories call on national leaders to work with them to reverse the decline in European competitiveness and ensure health sovereignty. They identify as decisive levers the level of health budgets, the speed of evaluation and funding of new medicines, as well as the modernization of health systems.
The text assigns the European Union a facilitating role, through the acceleration of clinical trials, the protection of intellectual property, the adoption of digital policies and greater budgetary flexibility for member states investing in health. The signatories call for modern medicines to be considered as vital infrastructure, on par with defense or energy.
