Sanofi ended 2018 on a high, posting overall 5.1% growth for the year. Specialty Care and Vaccines provided the bedrock of our solid fourth quarter results, building on our return to growth in the second half of last year. These areas will remain our key drivers in 2019.

Our Specialty Care business saw a 16% jump in Q4 and 14% increase for the year, a rise accelerated by its immunology franchise - which after less than two years is making over a billion Euros in sales - and our new Rare Blood Disorder franchise that grew almost 6% in the quarter on a pro forma basis and 12.5% overall.

Fueling Specialty Care growth are three recent launches: Dupixent® for asthma, Libtayo for advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma – the second most common skin cancer, and Cablivi, for the rare clotting disorder acquired TTP; the first therapeutic to be approved in Europe. In addition, Dupixent®, launched in 17 countries, is set to push global growth even further in 2019 once it gets the green light to treat atopic dermatitis in adolescents and nasal polyposis in adults.

A reinvigorated Vaccines business also played a strong part in maintaining Q4 momentum, with an increase of nearly 10%, driven by strong performances from our influenza portfolio and meningitis vaccine, Menactra. It posted a full-year rise of 2.4%.

While Consumer Healthcare saw modest growth, up 1.9% in Q4, it highlighted our strong position in Emerging Markets (EM) as did the Diabetes franchise, which saw solid results in these countries but a 10.5% drop in sales inside the US.

Our market leading EM continue to deliver, with Q4 sales up 6%, largely driven by Specialty Care and a strong Asian influence, especially from China, now our second largest market after the US. EM also welcomed a 7.5% increase in full-year results, highlighting the clout behind our new Emerging Markets and China business unit.

We head into 2019 with strong foundations, expected growth of 3% to 5% at CER, and a pipeline packed with potential, including:

  • Approval for hexavalent vaccine, Vaxelis™, for children from 6 weeks to 4 years in the US
  • Marketing authorization for Dengvaxia® vaccine to prevent dengue disease in 9 to 45 years-olds with a documented prior dengue infection living in endemic areas in Europe
  • Recommendation of fexinidazole, the first all-oral treatment for sleeping sickness
  • A positive opinion for Praluent® for adults with established cardiovascular disease