October 6, 2011

Merial builds headquarters in Lyon, France

Merial, a global animal health firm and a division of the Sanofi Group, is building its global business headquarters in Lyon. 

The dynamic economy and the key plans of Greater Lyon in the life sciences, health and biotechnology were undeniably trump cards behind this decision.

"Sanofi today is the leading private sector employer in Greater Lyon, with 6,700 employees among 11 sites; it plays a major role in the region and across our different entities: Sanofi, Merial, Sanofi-Pasteur and Genzyme", explained Christian Lajoux, President of Sanofi France.

"The presence of our global headquarters at Lyon illustrates and reinforces the involvement of Merial within the scientific community of Greater Lyon, notably Lyonbiopôle and LyonBiotech, where Merial is already involved" said José Barella, Senior Vice President, Merial.

Merial's global headquarters will be housed at Gerland – the historic birthplace of biological vaccine production – on the Avenue Tony Garnier site.

Today, this site is the base for the President of Merial France, the management of commercial activities for Europe, Middle East and Africa, the management of worldwide Industrial Affairs, and a number of other global functions. Global R&D activities and the United States commercial operations remain at Duluth, Georgia, the United States.