Sanofi will invest around 1 billion euros ($1.05 billion) to build an insulin production facility in Beijing, marking the company’s largest single investment in China.
The news was announced yesterday when the French pharma giant signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology and the Administrative Commission of the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Area. The new production base will be located in the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Area, known as Beijing E-Town. It will manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients for insulin products, providing essential raw materials for Sanofi's existing Beijing operations.
The investment aligns with Beijing's third-round action plan to boost pharmaceutical innovation. The city has implemented 32 measures this year to support drug development and attract multinational investment.
"In Beijing E-Town, Sanofi can better integrate domestic and international resources, leverage its industry leadership and achieve synchronized growth with the sector," said a Beijing E-Town official.
The development zone has evolved into a biomedical hub, hosting nearly 5,000 companies with an annual output of almost 90 billion yuan ($12.2 billion). It has strengthened talent recruitment policies, creating an environment that attracts global scientific professionals through international support services.
"Although Sanofi and the Beijing E-Town have enjoyed a 30-year partnership, the successful implementation of this project has reaffirmed our confidence in the area's exceptional business environment and the thoughtful support provided to enterprises," said Frédéric Oudéa, chairman of the board of directors of Sanofi.
Sanofi's Beijing production base was established in the Beijing E-Town in 1995 with an initial investment of 1.7 billion yuan. The company invested an additional 700 million yuan between 2020 and 2023 to expand insulin formulation production lines.