Sanofi-Aventis SA (SASY.PA) has reached an agreement in principle to buy Genzyme Corp (GENZ.O) for $19.2 billion in cash plus future payments based on the performance of an experimental Genzyme drug, according to two sources with knowledge of the talks. [ID:nN15191648] Below are some key facts about Sanofi, currently the world's fourth-largest drugmaker by sales according to IMS Health, and Genzyme, a pioneering biotechnology company which specializes in drugs for rare diseases:SANOFI HISTORYSanofi-Aventis is the product of numerous mergers and acquisitions. It became the world's third-largest drugmaker in 2004 when Sanofi-Synthelabo -- formed by merging subsidiaries of Total (TOTF.PA) and L'Oreal (OREP.PA) in 1999 -- bought Aventis.
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