Sanofi Pasteur-MSD cancer drug promises strong growth, the company says

Sanofi Pasteur MSD's uterine cancer vaccine Gardasil (quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus [types 6, 11, 16, 18] recombinant vaccine) is expected to transform the position of the company over the next few years, according to the director of the French Sanofi-Aventis and US firm Merck & Co joint venture, Didier Hoch.

He said the agent would be commercialized in 15 European countries and is forecasting annual sales of between 500.0 million euros and 1.0 billion euros ($660.8 million-$1.32 billion) in the European market within three to five years.

This level of revenue from a single product contrasts with the current sales of the joint venture of some 700.0 million euros in 2005. The drug emerged from Merck's R&D and that firm has been marketing it worldwide with the exception of Europe where its commercialization has been assigned to Sanofi Pasteur MSD.