Sanofi’s new CEO vows deeper review of late-stage pipeline after series of trial failures

Sanofi appointed Belén Garijo as chief executive in February with a clear mandate to tighten R&D governance and boost productivity. The board tasked her with bringing more rigor to the company’s strategy and improving innovation capacity.

Since her arrival, Garijo has highlighted a string of recent clinical setbacks, including the failure of the anti‑OX40L antibody amlitelimab in a phase 2 asthma trial, the oral TNF inhibitor balinatunfib missing its mid‑stage psoriasis goal, and the Regeneron‑partnered IL‑33 candidate itepekimab flopping in one of two phase 3 COPD studies.

The setbacks come as Sanofi faces revenue pressure from the upcoming loss of Dupixent patent protection around 2031. In response, the company has already discontinued amlitelimab in atopic dermatitis, a program once seen as a multi‑billion‑dollar opportunity, and Garijo is now scrutinising the late‑stage pipeline for further course corrections.