Report: Sanofi-Aventis may shorten name

NEW YORK — French drug maker Sanofi-Aventis may get a name change soon, according to a published report.

Bloomberg reported that the drug maker had scheduled a vote at its May 6 stockholders meeting to shorten the name to “Sanofi.” The article paraphrased a spokesman as saying that the current name is difficult for people in some countries to pronounce.

The Sanofi-Aventis name came into being following the 2004 acquisition of Aventis by Sanofi-Synthelabo.

Many publications, including Drug Store News, already use “Sanofi” as an abbreviated form of the company’s name.