Valproate (VPA) and its valproic acid, sodium valproate, and valproate semisodium forms are medications primarily used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder and prevent migraine headaches. They are useful for the prevention of seizures in those with absence seizures, partial seizures, and generalized seizures. They can be given intravenously or by mouth, and the tablet forms exist in both long- and short-acting formulations.
Hoechst AG was a German chemicals then life-sciences company that became Aventis Deutschland after its merger with France's Rhône-Poulenc S.A. in 1999. With the new company's 2004 merger with Sanofi-Synthélabo, it became a subsidiary of the resulting Sanofi-Aventis pharmaceuticals group.
Rimonabant (also known as SR141716; trade names Acomplia, Zimulti) is an anorectic antiobesity drug approved in Europe in 2006 but was withdrawn worldwide in 2008 due to serious psychiatric side effects; it was never approved in the United States. Rimonabant is an inverse agonist for the cannabinoid receptor CB1 and was first-in-class for clinical development.
Roussel Uclaf S.A. was a French pharmaceutical company and one of several predecessor companies of today's Sanofi.
Leflunomide, sold under the brand name Arava among others, is an immunosuppressive disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD), used in active moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. It is a pyrimidine synthesis inhibitor that works by inhibiting dihydroorotate dehydrogenase.
Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health is a multinational animal health company, formed in January 2017 when Merial was acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim and merged with Boehringer Ingelheim's existing animal health assets.
Meglumine antimoniate is a medicine used to treat leishmaniasis. This includes visceral, mucocutaneous, and cutaneous leishmaniasis. It is given by injection into a muscle or into the area infected.
Rhône-Poulenc was a French chemical and pharmaceutical company founded in 1928. In 1999, it merged with Hoechst AG to form Aventis. As of 2015, the pharmaceutical operations of Rhône-Poulenc are part of Sanofi and the chemicals divisions are part of Solvay group and Bayer Crop Science.
Nelivaptan (INN) is a selective, orally active, non-peptide vasopressin receptor antagonist selective for the V1B subtype. The drug had entered clinical trials for treatment of anxiety and depression. In July 2008, Sanofi-Aventis announced that further development of this drug had been halted.
Dianicline (SSR-591,813) is a drug developed by Sanofi-Aventis which acts as a partial agonist at neural nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. It is subtype-selective, binding primarily to the α4β2 subtype. It is being developed as a medication for the treatment of nicotine dependence to assist in smoking cessation. Dianicline is very similar to the already marketed drug varenicline and it is unclear what advantages it will have over the older drug, although it may have an improved side effect profile. It has been through human trials up to Phase II, although results have not yet been reported. Drug development has been discontinued after reporting of unfavourable results during Phase III trials.
Osanetant (developmental code name SR-142,801) is a neurokinin 3 receptor antagonist which was developed by Sanofi-Synthélabo and was being researched for the treatment of schizophrenia but was discontinued. It was the first non-peptide NK3 antagonist developed in the mid-1990s.
Amibegron (SR-58,611A) was a drug developed by Sanofi-Aventis which acts as a selective agonist for the β3 adrenergic receptor. It is the first orally active β3 agonist developed that is capable of entering the central nervous system, and has antidepressant and anxiolytic effects.
Marion Merrell Dow and its predecessor Marion Laboratories was a U.S. pharmaceutical company based in Kansas City, Missouri, from 1950 until 1996.
May & Baker was a British chemical company founded by John May and William Gerrard Baker in Wandsworth, London in 1839. They initially specialized in the manufacture of chemicals derived from mercury and bismuth. Over the years they diversified into other chemical fields including photographic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and chemicals for research and development.
Eplivanserin was an experimental drug for the treatment of insomnia which was being developed by Sanofi Aventis.
Fresolimumab (GC1008) is a human monoclonal antibody and an immunomodulator. It is intended for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, and cancer.
Drinabant (INN; AVE-1625) is a drug that acts as a selective CB1 receptor antagonist, which was under investigation varyingly by Sanofi-Aventis as a treatment for obesity, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and nicotine dependence. Though initially studied as a potential treatment for a variety of different medical conditions, Sanofi-Aventis eventually narrowed down the therapeutic indications of the compound to just appetite suppression. Drinabant reached phase IIb clinical trials for this purpose in the treatment of obesity but was shortly thereafter discontinued, likely due to the observation of severe psychiatric side effects including anxiety, depression, and thoughts of suicide in patients treated with the now-withdrawn rimonabant, another CB1 antagonist that was also under development by Sanofi-Aventis.
Malika Haimeur is a French engineer and chemist and winner of the Irène Joliot-Curie Prize for Women & Business in 2009. She was named a Knight of the Legion of Honor in 2012.
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