Sanofi Oncology and Colon Cancer Coalition Join Forces to Raise Awareness of Colorectal Cancer

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN andNYSE: SNY) and the Colon Cancer Coalition/Get Your Rear in Gear have collaborated to raise awareness of colorectal cancer in Cambridge, Massachusetts by asking the Mayor to sign a proclamation decreeing today, March 6 as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Day in Cambridge. Sanofi Oncology and Get Your Rear in Gear are encouraging the local community to get screened for colorectal cancer and maintain a healthy lifestyle as a means of prevention and early detection.  

"I applaud Sanofi Oncology and Colon Cancer Coalition on their collaborative efforts to raise awareness of colorectal cancer in the Cambridge community," said Henrietta Davis, Mayor of the City of Cambridge. "Educating our citizens on prevention and early detection of colorectal cancer is key to fighting this terrible illness."

"We're proud to partner with Sanofi Oncology to raise awareness of colorectal cancer," said Anne Carlson, Executive Director, Colon Cancer Coalition/Get Your Rear in Gear. "I know that patients and caregivers appreciate the efforts undertaken to proclaim Colorectal Cancer Awareness Day in Cambridge, as it provides a voice to spread the word about colorectal cancer."

Today's proclamation underscores Sanofi Oncology's ongoing commitment to the Cambridge community, as evidenced through the company's strong business presence and research partnerships with local academia, hospitals, biotech and research institutions. Sanofi Oncology currently has nine partnerships ongoing in the Cambridge area alone.

"At Sanofi Oncology, our mission goes beyond developing innovative medicines and ensuring their availability," said Debasish Roychowdhury, M.D., Senior Vice President and Head, Sanofi Oncology. "Through initiatives like today's proclamation ceremony, we're educating patients and the public about various cancers, prevention, and treatments, to ultimately promote a healthy way of life in the Cambridge community."

About Colorectal Cancer

In 2010, 142,570 new cases were diagnosed and 51,370 people died from colorectal cancer in the United States. When colorectal cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, the five-year survival rate is nearly 90 percent. However, when the cancer is not diagnosed until a late state, the five-year survival rate is closer to 10 percent. In the past ten years, colon cancer screening rates have increased, but rates still remain low, especially among the uninsured. According to the American Cancer Society, men and women should begin screening for colon cancer at age 50. If the entire population was screened at that age, the number of colorectal cancer-related deaths would be cut in half.

About the Colon Cancer Coalition /Get Your Rear in Gear

Get Your Rear in Gear^® events are presented nationally by the Colon Cancer Coalition, a non-profit organization based in Minneapolis. The events are 100% volunteer-driven in communities throughout the United States. The Colon Cancer Coalition distributes funds raised at Get Your Rear in Gear events back into local communities for colon cancer education, prevention, and screening. By making the words colon, colorectal and colonoscopy a part of the everyday language, we believe we can overcome the fear and decrease deaths from this largely preventable cancer.  A history of the organization, upcoming events, and a list of programs receiving funding from the Colon Cancer Coalition can be found at GetYourRearinGear.com.

About Sanofi Oncology

At Sanofi Oncology, the patient is our inspiration. We are dedicated to translating science into effective therapeutics that address unmet medical needs for cancer and organ transplant patients. Through our global organization of talented and passionate employees, we are building a renewed and diversified portfolio, driven by the principles of innovation, personalization and patient access to medicines. We believe that delivering innovative treatment solutions requires collaboration with external experts, which is why we partner our own internal expertise with the best experts in scientific discovery and clinical research around the world.

About Sanofi

Sanofi, a global and diversified healthcare leader, discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions focused on patients' needs.  Sanofi has core strengths in the field of healthcare with seven growth platforms: diabetes solutions, human vaccines, innovative drugs, consumer healthcare, emerging markets, animal health and the new Genzyme.  Sanofi is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY).

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements.  Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts.  These statements include projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives, intentions and expectations with respect to future financial results, events, operations, services, product development and potential, 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's 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, 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 among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, future clinical data and analysis, including post marketing, decisions by regulatory authorities, such as the FDA or the EMA, regarding whether and when to approve any drug, device or biological application that may be filed for any such product candidates as well as their decisions regarding labelling and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of such product candidates, the absence of guarantee that the product candidates if approved will be commercially successful, the future approval and commercial success of therapeutic alternatives, the Group's ability to benefit from external growth opportunities, trends in exchange rates and prevailing interest rates, the impact of cost containment policies and subsequent changes thereto, the average number of shares outstanding as well as those discussed or identified in the public filings with the SEC and the AMF made by Sanofi, including those listed under "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in Sanofi's annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2011.  Other than as required by applicable law, Sanofi does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements.

Contacts:

Sanofi Oncology Communications 
Lauren Musto                                                         
Tel: (617) 768-1993                                                 
E-mail: [email protected]                                

Colon Cancer Coalition/Get Your Rear in Gear
Erin Peterson                                                         
Tel: (651) 247-4023                                                 
E-mail: [email protected]         

SOURCE Sanofi