One reason why Sanofi has bid so eagerly for Aventis--despite the latter's reticence to be bought--is that two of its biggest investors soon will be able to sell their shares, perhaps causing Sanofi's value to drop.
But there is reason to doubt that Sanofi's success with Acomplia will come from obesity alone.
According to Sanofi's Ellison, the medicine blocks a receptor in the brain involved in stimulating appetite.
Even if that never happens, Sanofi's cancer drugs eventually are going to lose patent protection--although that could take almost a decade.
Half the time patients in Sanofi's trials stopped taking the pills--typical for a weight-loss trial, which often entails a restrictive diet.
Apart from seeking the approval of the government, Mr Dehecq held a conference call with Sanofi's union representatives over the weekend.
But if the French government is determined to stand in the way of foreign bids, Sanofi's hostile bid could eventually play out.
Sanofi's bid for Aventis has put both companies in play, and all of the ingredients for a competitive bidding war are there.
Sanofi's new entrant, Acomplia, which is expected to be submitted to the FDA this year, is the exception that proves the rule.
But the deal is far from done: Aventis has rejected Sanofi's advances.
One motive: Sanofi's Acomplia, an experimental medicine for treating obesity and helping patients stop smoking, also seems to raise good cholesterol and fight heart disease.
Questions regarding this assertion were referred to Sanofi's Paris headquarters, where spokesman Jean-Marc Podvin said he was not aware of any new policy of silence.
Xavier Pi-Sunyer, the Columbia University obesity specialist who ran Sanofi's trials, sees the drug being used mostly for morbidly obese patients, not to help anyone fit into a swimsuit.
"It's a pretty lucky company that has a drug that can affect the two biggest killers in this country, " says Russell Ellison, the chief medical officer of Sanofi's American division.
Even Sanofi's research laboratories are focused on emerging markets.
Not only does Aventis feel that Sanofi's (nyse: SNY - news - people ) bid is too low, it also appears to be angry that its rival decided to launch a hostile offer at all.
PFE, and ActHIB, made by Sanofi-Aventis S.A. SNY, will like resume shortly.
Despite Zentiva's small size and the full price proposed by Sanofi Aventis, the Czech firm's exposure to markets such as Russia, Eastern Europe and Turkey could offer Sanofi an attractive route for its own products.
Today a federal New York judge ruled that the patent on Plavix is still valid and said Sanofi (Plavix's inventor) was entitled to an injunction to keep Apotex from launching a copycat.
One issue Sanofi has barely addressed is why the FDA delayed rimonabant, which underpins Amusa's growth forecasts for Sanofi stock.
At a March 22 analyst meeting, the drug's maker, Sanofi-Aventis , said it had met with the FDA again but provided few new details.
Wyeth's Tygacil and Sanofi-Aventis ' Ketek have been touted as new classes, and though the distinction can be argued, both were definitely better at fighting resistant bugs.
The drug's manufacturers, Sanofi, said valproate may be the only medication that effectively controls seizures for some women and to suddenly stop taking any anti-epileptic medication could lead to a recurrence of seizures.
There is no strong evidence that insulin drug Lantus causes cancer, according to an expert panel convened by Sanofi-Aventis, the drug's maker.
Buffett increased his position in Wal-Mart from 19.9 million shares to 39 million shares and added to his ownership of Wells Fargo, a bank battered by the financial crisis, as well as U.S. Bancorp, drug giant Sanofi-Aventis and Tesco, a British retail chain.
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Sanofi says it worked very closely with U.S. regulators--unlike, say, ImClone Systems (nasdaq: IMCL - news - people ).
Sanofi-Aventis gives nearness to the U.S. research hubs as one of the reasons behind its pending purchase of Genzyme, the U.S. biotechnology giant.
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He did major studies of drugs such as tPA, from Genentech, Plavix, from Sanofi-Aventis, and both Eli Lilly's Reopro and Integrilin, from Millennium and Schering-Plough.
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