Pharma giant Sanofi's Irish operations not part of antitrust probe

Company confirmed investigation by EU around its flu vaccine concerned its operations in France and Germany only

Sanofi, which employs more than 900 people in Ireland, has invested more than €700m in its operations in Waterford. Picture: Marlene Awaad/Bloomberg

The Irish operations of a biopharma giant from which the HSE bought 1.25 million flu vaccines is not part of an EU Commission investigation into potential violations of EU antitrust regulations.

A spokesperson for Sanofi said the probe only involved its premises in France and Germany.

Sanofi, which employs more than 900 people in Ireland, has invested more than €700m in its operations in Waterford.

That the company was awarded and completed its HSE contract is contained in the latest edition of the Supplement to the Official Journal of the EU, published on Tuesday.

Sanofi had been embroiled in legal wrangles with the French state for years. The Court of Appeal of Paris last month ordered Sanofi to pay €150.7m damages to the French national health insurance fund Caisse nationale d’assurance maladie (CNAM). This followed on from a finding in 2013 by the French Competition Authority against Sanofi’s anti-competitive practices related to its drug Plavix — which prevents blood clots — during a five-month period between 2009 and 2010.

A spokesperson for the company told the Irish Examiner: “Sanofi confirms that representatives of the European Commission visited the premises of Sanofi in France and Germany on 29 September, 2025, in connection with an investigation into conduct in the seasonal flu vaccine space.

“Sanofi is confident it is compliant with the relevant rules and regulations. Sanofi will not comment further given the ongoing investigation and will cooperate fully with the European Commission.” 

They also pointed out “the countries subject to their investigation are France and Germany”.

Officials raided the two Sanofi premises as part of an investigation into potential violations of EU anti-trust regulations.

The EU Commission later said in a statement it had “concerns” Sanofi — which it did not name in its statement — “may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit abuses of a dominant market position (Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union)”.

Officials added: “The commission is investigating possible exclusionary practices that may amount to anticompetitive disparagement.” 

Regulators said unannounced inspections were a “preliminary investigative step into suspected anticompetitive practices”.

It also stated: “The fact that the commission carries out such inspections does not mean that the company in question is guilty of anti-competitive behaviour, nor does it prejudge the outcome of the investigation itself."