UPDATE 2-Sanofi appoints Belén Garijo as new CEO after deciding not to renew Hudson's mandate

French drugmaker Sanofi said on ​Thursday it had appointed ‌Belén ​Garijo as its new chief executive after deciding not to renew the mandate of current CEO Paul Hudson. The ‌company, among the world's largest vaccine makers, released a string of underwhelming trial updates last year while pursuing bolt-on acquisitions in search of new medicines that could ‌help drive growth once its blockbuster asthma drug Dupixent loses key patents ‌in the early 2030s.

Hudson had said

in January that 2026 would be a good time for dealmaking after the company forecast high-single-digit overall sales growth this year, despite an expected drop in ⁠vaccines ​sales weighed by vaccine ⁠scepticism in the U.S. Sanofi said in a statement on Thursday that Hudson would step down ⁠as of February 17, while Garijo will take the role at the end of ​the group's shareholder meeting on April 29. Sanofi board member Olivier Charmeil ⁠will act as CEO during the transition.

Garijo worked for 15 years at Sanofi and was a ⁠board ​member at French cosmetics giant L'Oreal and CEO of German maker of pharmaceuticals and specialty materials Merck KGaA . "She has the experience and profile ⁠to accelerate the pace, strengthen the quality of execution of strategy and lead the next ⁠growth cycle ⁠of the company", Sanofi chairman Frederic Oudea said in a statement.

Outgoing CEO Hudson did not immediately respond to a Reuters ‌request for ‌comment.