Sanofi-Aventis to keep Cambridge, Canton sites

Sanofi-Aventis SA said today it will restructure global research and development operations by focusing on fewer diseases and combining research sites, but the French drugmaker plans to keep sites in Cambridge and Canton, which together have about 250 employees.

The restructuring, unveiled at the company's Paris headquarters, is the first step in a strategy being rolled out by Sanofi-Aventis chief executive Christopher A. Viehbachercq involving more partnerships with other companies.

Sanofi-Aventis said it doesn't anticipate layoffs in the restructuring, though there may be voluntary staff departures. Elizabeth Baxtercq, a US spokeswoman, said it would be premature to speculate whether the Massachusetts operations would grow or shrink.

The company expanded its Massachusetts footprint last summer when it agreed to buy Acambis PLC, a British vaccine maker with operations in Cambridge and Canton. Even before the acquisition, Sanofi-Aventis ran its own research operation in Cambridge, one of four it operates across the country.
(By Robert Weisman, Globe staff)