French government monitoring Sanofi plant at centre of pollution complaint

[PARIS] The French government said on Tuesday that it was monitoring the situation at Sanofi's Mourenx plant in south-western France to ensure the drugmaker had taken steps against pollution problems before it would allow the plant to re-open.

Sanofi said on Monday that it had stopped production at the plant after an environment body filed a complaint against what it said was massive air pollution.

France Nature Environnement, a federation representing some 3,500 local associations, said emissions at the Mourenx plant, which produces the epilepsy treatment valproate, had been 7,000 times above the limit allowed by French law.

REUTERS