Another large drug maker is poised to expand its generic medicine business. This time it’s French-based heavyweight Sanofi-Aventis that wants to sell more in generics, particularly in the faster-growing emerging markets, writes the WSJ . As part of this push, it recently bought two generic-drug companies in Latin America, and a Czech generics maker Zentiva last year. Like others in the industry, Sanofi faces the loss of patent protection on key products, including its lucrative anti-clotting drug Plavix, which brought in $8.6 billion in sales for it and its partner Bristol-Myers Squibb last year. Thus, Sanofi is set to reorganize its generics business and is following through on previously signaled cuts to its R&D spending as well. For those who are keeping

track, here’s what other big drug makers have said about their plans to sell generics: Earlier this month, J&J said it is considering selling branded generics abroad — but not in the U.S. — and perhaps in a partnership. Pfizer, which has set up an “ established medicines ” business around its medicines that are no longer on patent, recently agreed to deals with Aurobindo Pharma and Claris Lifesciences that allow it to market generics in emerging countries and to sell off-patent injectable drugs. It has also discussed manufacturing generic biologics. Merck , AstraZeneca and Novartis are all in or looking to get into the biogenerics business.

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Sanofi to Dive Further into Generic Drug-Making Pool