EU launches antitrust probe into Sanofi over flu vaccine claims

The European Commission has launched a formal antitrust investigation into Sanofi to determine whether the French drugmaker violated EU competition rules through a communication campaign targeting a competing influenza vaccine. The probe centers on allegations that Sanofi disseminated misleading information about Fluad, an enhanced flu vaccine marketed by CSL Seqirus, while promoting its own vaccine, Efluelda, in Germany and France. This action follows unannounced inspections conducted at Sanofi's premises in September 2025.

Commission Raises Concerns Over Messaging Campaign

According to the Commission, Sanofi may have portrayed Fluad as inferior to Efluelda despite recommendations from health authorities supporting the rival vaccine for vulnerable patients with risk factors. The investigation focuses primarily on communications directed at healthcare professionals in Germany and France, markets where the Commission preliminarily believes Sanofi holds a dominant position.

Regulators are examining several aspects of Sanofi's messaging, including claims that the scientific evidence supporting Fluad was weaker than that underpinning Efluelda. Officials are also reviewing whether Sanofi provided misleading or inaccurate interpretations of national vaccination recommendations. In Germany, the Commission is further scrutinizing claims suggesting that recommendations supporting Fluad remained subject to unresolved scientific objections from medical professional societies.

Potential Violation of EU Competition Rules

If the allegations are substantiated, the conduct could constitute an abuse of a dominant market position. Alongside the proceedings, regulators issued a Preliminary Assessment outlining the facts and competition concerns identified so far. Sanofi now has the opportunity to propose commitments aimed at addressing those concerns.

Entity	Action
European Commission	Opened investigation
Sanofi	Under scrutiny for promotion practices

1 Day	5 Days	1 Month	6 Months	1 Year	5 Years
-1.42%	+2.07%	+8.07%	-17.31%	-43.85%	-55.51%

Sanofi India reported that the Deputy Commissioner of State GST, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, rejected its refund application of ₹11,62,853 for the period 2014-15 to 2017-18. The order, received on June 23, 2026, stated that the refund claim arises from a debit of the Electronic Credit Ledger (ECL) towards mandatory pre-deposit under the Central Excise Act, 1944, and not as tax under the CGST Act, 2017. Consequently, the authority ruled that the application is not maintainable before State GST as the matter falls under the domain of Central GST.

Details of the Order

The rejection follows the company's filing of an appeal under the Central Excise Act, 1944, for the period 2014-15 to 2017-18 (till June 2017). During this process, the company had paid a mandatory pre-deposit of ₹11,62,853 by debiting its ECL. It subsequently filed an application for the refund of this amount before the State GST authorities.

The table below outlines the key details of the regulatory order:

Detail	Description
Name of the authority	Deputy Commissioner, State GST, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Nature of action	Rejection of refund application for INR 11,62,853
Reason for rejection	Claim arises from Central Excise Act pre-deposit, not CGST Act tax; falls under Central GST domain
Date of order	June 23, 2026

Company Response and Impact

In response to the order, Sanofi India stated that it intends to file appeals before the relevant Appellate Authorities. Regarding the consequences of this regulatory action, the company confirmed that there is no material impact on its financial, operational, or other activities.