President’s Foreword

70 years of commitment to therapeutic progress

In 2023, the pharmaceutical industry encountered significant challenges yet again. High inflation continued to directly impact costs, and new geopolitical unrest necessitated adjustments in the supply chain to ensure uninterrupted access to medication for patients. In addition to this tumultuous situation, our industry continues to grapple with fundamental challenges, including recent innovations that have resulted in more personalized treatment plans. While these approaches are more effective, they also pose increased costs and complexity in scaling up (personalized diagnostics, cellular and gene therapies…)

In this context, I would like to commend the engagement our teams have shown all throughout 2023. In particular, we have made significant progress in combating brain, bile duct and blood cancers. We also received several market approvals as the culmination of our efforts. Our work, with and for patients, earned us second place in the annual PatientView report ranking on oncology. We also initiated the first of our major triennial projects aimed at addressing pediatric cancers. We are fully committed to this initiative as cancer stands as the primary cause of death among children globally, impacting 400,000 children and teenagers. At the same time, we continue to pursue advances in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, as we have done since our very beginning. For example, we have made progress with single pill combinations, which make it easier for patients to take their treatment. For the first time, one of our single pill combinations was included in the list of essential medicines published by the World Health Organization, recognizing the importance of these solutions in improving medication adherence, which benefits patients and health care systems.

In addition, the new Servier Research and Development Institute in Paris-Saclay opened its doors to employees in spring 2023. It already stands as a beacon of Servier’s ambition to foster an open, dynamic, productive and innovative approach to research and development. It is at the heart of our global R&D structure, facilitating collaboration with our other centers in Hungary, Denmark and Boston. We believe firmly in the power of collective intelligence. Each day, digital technology, with artificial intelligence and big data at the forefront, gradually permeates our practices.

The goal of improving patient health takes on even greater meaning when we also focus on the health of the planet and the well-being of the communities in which we operate. That is why our Servier 2030 strategy centers around our ambition to have a significant social impact for patients and for a sustainable word. As such, we have entered into an ambitious plan to reduce our carbon footprint, which will ultimately see us cut greenhouse gas emissions by 42% across scopes 1 and 2 by 2030, compared with the 2021/2022 financial year, and 25% across scope 3. In 2022/2023, we already succeeded in reducing our scope 1 and 2 emissions by 11% on 2021/2022. Five of our 11 brand-name industrial facilities are now fully powered by renewable energy, and we have reduced the volumes of our medicines transported by air, switching instead to sea freight.

When we talk about our commitment to improving health, we also seek to safeguard the health of our employees. They are the ones driving the Group towards the successes I have just mentioned. We therefore ensure our employees enjoy a healthy and safe working environment, where everyone is respected and valued. Our commitment to promote diversity, inclusion and gender equality is gaining momentum, in particular through our new leadership program designed to support the career development of women in the Group. In 2025, we aim to see at least 40% of senior management positions held by women. Furthermore, by 2030, we intend for each Group entity to obtain a label or certification for its human resource practices. I am proud to say this is the third consecutive year we have earned Top Employer Europe certification, and 22 of our subsidiaries were also labelled a Great Place To Work®.

We are guided by our holistic vision of health as a priority for people, society and the planet. More than ever, our commitment to therapeutic progress to serve patient needs remains inextricably linked to our commitment to our teams our stakeholders and the environment.