MEDIA RELEASE PR36513
Merial invests US $ 70 million in Nanchang, China
NANCHANG, China, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
- Merial Animal Health Co. (China) Breaks Ground for Nanchang
Plant's Expansion Project -
Merial, the Animal Health division of the sanofi-aventis Group (EURONEXT:
SAN and NYSE: SNY), announced today that Merial Animal Health Co. (China)
held a ground-breaking ceremony for an expansion project at its plant located
in the Nanchang Hi-tech Development Zone, China. Merial Animal Health Co.
(China), a venture of Merial Limited and the Group's first production
facility in China has been in operation for almost 20 years.
The facility in Nanchang produces poultry vaccines for the domestic
Chinese market. Upon completion of the expansion project, which earmarks an
estimated total investment of over 70 million US dollars, the production
capacity of the Nanchang plant will double. The new facility covers a land of
50,000 square meters, with a phase I floor area of nearly 30,000 square
meters.
"Merial has been operating with our partners in China for nearly 20
years," declared Jose Barella, Executive Chairman of Merial. "During that
time, we have been proud to have joined our Chinese partner organizations in
enhancing the quantity and quality of poultry protein to meet the
ever-increasing demand by consumers here. Now, with the establishment of this
new state-of-the-art facility, we have the ability to further apply the
latest in modern avian vaccine technology and further contribute to the
country's production of poultry protein, and help feed a vibrant and modern
China. We hope that this milestone in our growing relationship with China is
a symbol of our commitment to this market, and an indication of our desire to
further expand our operations in the future."
The expansion project is expected to extend Merial's leadership in China
in terms of high-quality vaccine offerings as well as sales, technical
support and logistics, and positions Merial as a truly trusted partner for
Chinese customers and veterinary professionals for business excellence.
About Merial
Merial Limited was established in 1997, and is now a wholly-owned
subsidiary of sanofi-aventis. Merial is a world-leading, innovation-driven
animal health company, providing a comprehensive range of products to enhance
the health, well-being and performance of a wide range of animals. Merial
employs approximately 5,700 people and operates in more than 150 countries
worldwide. The company's revenue in 2008 was over 2.6 billion US dollars. For
About sanofi-aventis
Sanofi-aventis, a leading global pharmaceutical company, discovers,
develops and distributes therapeutic solutions to improve the lives of
everyone. Sanofi-aventis is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York
(NYSE: SNY).
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking
statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements
include financial projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions,
statements regarding plans, objectives, intentions and expectations with
respect to future events, operations, products and services, and statements
regarding future performance. Forward-looking statements are generally
identified by the words "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "intends,"
"estimates," "plans" and similar expressions. Although sanofi-aventis'
management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking
statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that forward-looking
information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties,
many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of
sanofi-aventis, that could cause actual results and developments to differ
materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the
forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties
include those discussed or identified in the public filings with the SEC and
the AMF made by sanofi-aventis, including those listed under "Risk Factors"
and "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in
sanofi-aventis' annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31,
2008. Other than as required by applicable law, sanofi-aventis does not
undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information
or statements.
SOURCE: Merial
CONTACT: Philip Connolly of Merial,
+44 (0) 12 79 77 58 46,
Philip.connolly@merial.com; or
Jean-Marc Podvin of Sanofi-aventis,
+33 (0) 1 53 77 42 23,
Jean-marc.podvin@sanofi-aventis.com
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