Sanofi and Google's Verily Launch $500M Joint Venture Onduo to Transform Diabetes Care

3156 Pharmaceutical NetworkNews: Google Joins Forces with Sanofi, France's Largest Pharmaceutical Company, to Enter the MarketMedications for DiabetesDiabetes? Indeed. Recently, Sanofi and Verily, the life sciences company under Google, announced a joint investment of $500 million to establish a joint venture focused on diabetes research. This collaboration will enhance Sanofi’s competitiveness in the fiercely competitive diabetes drug market and differentiate it from its rivals.

The collaboration between the two parties will integrate medical research, electronic devices, and software. Sanofi stated that the company will leverage Verily’s software to track patients’ physiological metrics, thereby supporting treatment. This marks another instance of cooperation between a global pharmaceutical giant and a tech powerhouse, with this partnership having a global...DiabetesThe significance becomes particularly important in the context of a sharp rise in the number of patients.

Under the agreement, both parties will each contribute $248 million to establish a joint venture. In a statement released by Sanofi and Verily, the new joint venture, named Onduo, will integrate devices, software, and pharmaceuticals. Stefan Oelrich, Senior Vice President of Sanofi and Head of Global Diabetes Business, stated in an interview, “The best part about the joint venture is that we are not dependent on Sanofi’s 10-year drug development cycle; our innovation will start today.”

He also stated,Sanofi, France's largest pharmaceutical companyAiming to maintain competitiveness in the diabetes sector while keeping biosimilar prices low. The company began collaborating with Verily last year, a move that will give Sanofi a competitive edge over its rivals. “The diabetes drug market is becoming increasingly crowded, and companies are ultimately forced to engage in continuous price cuts to secure market share. We need to seek new breakthroughs for growth.”

Jiang Ningjun, CEO of CStone Pharmaceuticals and former Global Vice President and President of R&D for the Asia-Pacific region at Sanofi, expressed his approval of the collaboration. “This will inject vitality into Sanofi’s innovation,” he told Yicai Global. Chen Junwei, President of Harvest Technology Investment Management Company, stated, “This partnership is highly complementary. Beyond brand complementarity, the novel concept of ‘trendiness’ is also commendable.”

In addition, Sanofi is promoting its “Biggest Real-World Evidence” program for Toujeo, aiming to highlight differences among treatment options. Oelrich stated, “Our job is to ensure that compelling value underpins every story, because not all of these products are the same.” According to reports, this initiative involves studies of 4,500 patients in Europe and the United States and will help assess the efficacy of once-daily insulin, with results expected to be announced next year.

Sanofi currently has five diabetes drug products in its portfolio. However, last year the company announced a downward revision of its sales forecasts for the next three years, primarily due to declining demand for Lantus, its star diabetes medication. In response, Sanofi is actively adjusting its diabetes drug portfolio, aiming to offset the decline in Lantus sales by relying on its new basal insulin, Toujeo (insulin glargine).

Furthermore, Verily has been collaborating with Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis to develop a contact lens capable of monitoring diabetes. This partnership has lasted for several years, but as of now, no commercial product has been launched.

Jessica Mega, Chief Medical Officer at Verily, stated, “Diabetes is a condition that requires continuous monitoring of blood glucose levels, diet, and multiple biomarkers. Therefore, we believe that the use of new tools and sensors can play a supportive role in treatment within this field.”

Currently, there are nearly 400 million people with diabetes worldwide, among whom type 2 diabetes, also known as non-InsulinThe proportion of patients with insulin-dependent diabetes accounts for 90%. If poorly managed, it may lead to severe consequences such as blindness.

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