Sanofi meets estimates for fourth-quarter profit, plans 5 billion euros in buybacks

French drugmaker Sanofi reported a fourth-quarter profit that came in-line with analysts' estimates on Thursday, and said it would buy back 5 billion euros ($5.21 billion) in shares this year as it seeks to build investor confidence in its drug pipeline. Sanofi, one of the world's largest maker of vaccines and a leader in anti-inflammatory drugs, also said it expects sales to grow by a mid-to-high single-digit percentage in 2025, at a time the company transitions into a pure-play drugmaker. Sanofi is close to selling a 50% stake in its consumer health business Opella to investor Clayton Dubilier & Rice, and said it expects the deal to close in the second quarter at the earliest.