The European Commission accepted legally binding commitments from Sanofi on Wednesday to end its investigation into whether the French drugmaker disparaged Fluad, the flu vaccine CSL Seqirus makes for older patients, in France and Germany, where it competes with Sanofi’s own Efluelda. Under the pledges, which run to 2030, Sanofi will not use material aimed at healthcare professionals in either country to criticise national vaccination recommendations or to present Efluelda as safer than its rival, and over the next two years it will publish a statement on its French and German websites clarifying that national recommendations treat the two vaccines as equivalent for elderly people. Accepting the commitments spares Sanofi formal charges and a possible fine of up to 10 percent of global annual turnover.
EU accepts Sanofi pledges in flu vaccine disparagement case
The European Commission made Sanofi's commitments legally binding on Wednesday, closing its investigation into whether the company disparaged CSL Seqirus's Fluad flu vaccine in France and Germany, and Sanofi avoids a possible fine of up to 10 percent of its global turnover.
Why it matters: The case sets a marker for how far drugmakers can go in marketing against a rival vaccine: Brussels treated promotional claims that cut against national vaccination recommendations as a competition problem, not just an advertising one.
Data as of Wednesday, October 14, 2026. European Commission press release ip_26_2154 arrived via the P0 official feed; the Reuters report was opened and read in full via a republication, and the Commission release headline and case scope are as the Commission published them. Developing item, 2 to 3 sentences by design.
Sources
- Commission accepts commitments by Sanofi to address possible anticompetitive disparagement of competing flu vaccine for vulnerable patients · European Commission · 2026-10-14
- Sanofi avoids fine as EU accepts offer to stop disparaging rival vaccine · Reuters, via Q106FM · 2026-10-14