Leaning in to the latest advancements in medical research and treatment
Emerging trends
At Sanofi, we pride ourselves on being on the cutting edge of science and at the forefront of advancements in how business is done in our industry. In this section of the Sanofi Market Access website, you will find the latest on our efforts in evolving areas. We encourage you to bookmark this page and check back for regular updates.
Rethinking the science of COPD1
Sanofi, in partnership with Regeneron, is committed to exploring solutions that may help the millions of people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as well as to healthcare systems globally.
“COPD is the third most common cause of death worldwide,”2 explained Naimish Patel, MD, Head of Global Development, Immunology and Inflammation at Sanofi.
The clinical burden of COPD
COPD is a life-threatening respiratory disease that damages the lungs and causes progressive lung function decline. Smoking and exposure to toxic particles are key risk factors for developing COPD, but even individuals who have quit smoking can still have progressive disease.2,3 It erodes physical, mental, and emotional well-being, making it difficult for patients living with COPD to go about their daily lives.4-8
When it comes to COPD, preventing symptoms from worsening is important. Every disease exacerbation can lead to permanent damage to the lungs and can trigger more severe and more frequent flare-ups in the future, which contribute to worsening lung function (a main cause for breathlessness) and increased risk of death.9-12
In addition to the unmet clinical needs associated with COPD, this disease also brings economic strain. In the United States, the total annual medical cost of COPD is $24 billion for adults aged 45 years and older13
As COPD progresses, there is increased healthcare utilization, which increases the economic and emotional toll of the disease2,14-17
Transforming the COPD treatment paradigm
“Our approach is focused on targeting different types of chronic inflammation that we believe are driving disease progression,” said Dr. Patel.
Specifically, Sanofi and Regeneron are targeting different processes within the body’s chain of inflammatory responses, known as the inflammatory cascade. This includes targeting proteins called interleukins, with some that are involved in the type 2 inflammatory pathway like interleukin 4 and interleukin 13 (IL-4 and IL-13), as well as interleukin 33 (IL-33), which initiates and amplifies multiple inflammatory responses in COPD.20
Dr. Patel added, “We believe that by examining different points in the inflammatory cascade, we are increasing our chances of treating many different patients with this heterogeneous disease.”
All in on artificial intelligence (AI)
Sanofi has a goal of becoming the first biopharma company powered by AI at scale.
AI is a transformative tool Sanofi is investing in on many fronts, from accelerating research to gathering real-world evidence and improving the manufacturing and supply of medicines and vaccines, among many other possibilities.
We’re taking a responsible approach to the utilization of AI, knowing it can aid us in providing better care at lower cost and empowering people to manage their disease.
Diversity in clinical trials
At Sanofi, we aim to make clinical trials more inclusive through our intentional approach. We strive to ensure trials are inclusive by design and represent the diversity of the patient populations who are living with the disease.
We are meeting patients and providers where they are, including partnering with historically underrepresented racial and ethnic minority communities and other marginalized groups, to break down barriers and create a more equitable future.
Connect with us
Schedule a meeting with a Sanofi Market Access team member to learn more about Sanofi products.
References: 1. Patel N. Rethinking the science of COPD. Sanofi. May 16, 2023. Accessed May 16, 2024. https://www.sanofi.com/en/magazine/our-science/rethinking-the-science-of-copd 2. Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). 2024 report. Accessed May 16, 2024. https://goldcopd.org/2024-gold-report/ 3. Linden D, Guo-Parke H, Coyle PV, et al. Respiratory viral infection: a potential “missing link” in the pathogenesis of COPD. Eur Respir Rev. 2019;28(151):180063. doi:10.1183/16000617.0063-2018 4. Seemungal TA, Donaldson GC, Paul EA, Bestall JC, Jeffries DJ, Wedzicha JA. Effect of exacerbation on quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1998;157(5)(part 1):1418-1422. doi:10.1164/ajrccm.157.5.9709032 5. Jones PW, Brusselle G, Dal Negro RW, et al. Patient-centred assessment of COPD in primary care: experience from a cross-sectional study of health-related quality of life in Europe. Prim Care Respir J. 2012;21(3):329-336. doi:10.4104/pcrj.2012.00065 6. Meguro M, Barley EA, Spencer S, Jones PW. Development and validation of an improved, COPD-specific version of the St. George Respiratory Questionnaire. Chest. 2007;132(2):456-463. doi:10.1378/chest.06-0702 7. Miravitlles M, Ribera A. Understanding the impact of symptoms on the burden of COPD. Respir Res. 2017;18(1):67. doi:10.1186/s12931-017-0548-3 8. Machado A, Marques A, Burtin C. Extra-pulmonary manifestations of COPD and the role of pulmonary rehabilitation: a symptom-centered approach. Expert Rev Respir Med. 2021;15(1):131-142. doi:10.1080/17476348.2021.1854737 9. Suissa S, Dell’Aniello S, Ernst P. Long-term natural history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: severe exacerbations and mortality. Thorax. 2012;67(11):957-963. doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2011-201518 10. Garcia-Aymerich J, Serra Pons I, Mannino DM, Maas AK, Miller DP, Davis KJ. Lung function impairment, COPD hospitalisations and subsequent mortality. Thorax. 2011;66(7):585-590. doi:10.1136/thx.2010.152876 11. Hansel TT, Barnes PJ. New drugs for exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Lancet. 2009;374(9691):744-755. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(09)61342-8 12. Donaldson GC, Seemungal TAR, Bhowmik A, Wedzicha JA. Relationship between exacerbation frequency and lung function decline in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Thorax. 2002;57(10):847-852. doi:10.1136/thorax.57.10.847 13. COPD trends brief: burden. American Lung Association. Accessed May 16, 2024. https://www.lung.org/research/trends-in-lung-disease/copd-trends-brief/copd-burden 14. Guarascio AJ, Ray SM, Finch CK, Self TH. The clinical and economic burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the USA. Clinicoecon Outcomes Res. 2013;5:235-245. doi:10.2147/ceor.s34321 15. Kim C, Kim Y, Yang DW, et al. Direct and indirect costs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Korea. Tuberc Respir Dis (Seoul). 2019;82(1):27-34. doi:10.4046/trd.2018.0035 16. GBD Chronic Respiratory Disease Collaborators. Prevalence and attributable health burden of chronic respiratory diseases, 1990-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet Respir Med. 2020;8(6):585-596. doi:10.1016/s2213-2600(20)30105-3 17. GBD 2019 Diseases and Injuries Collaborators. Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet. 2020;396(10258):1204-1222. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(20)30925-9 18. Singanayagam A, Schembri S, Chalmers JD. Predictors of mortality in hospitalized adults with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2013;10(2):81-89. doi:10.1513/annalsats.201208-043oc 19. Halpin DMG, Dransfield MT, Han MK, et al. The effect of exacerbation history on outcomes in the IMPACT trial. Eur Respir J. 2020;55(5):1901921. doi:10.1183/13993003.01921-2019 20. Barnes PJ. Inflammatory endotypes in COPD. Allergy. 2019;74(7):1249-1256. doi:10.1111/all.13760
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