As the third-largest pharmaceutical group in the world, sanofi-aventis, employs 100,000 people around the globe and has a sales force of 33,000. In the U.S. alone the company employs roughly 14,000 people; of those, more than half — 8,000 — are sales representatives. The company has locations in more than 100 countries on 5 continents.
Last year, the company made $27.1 billion in sales and spent $9 billion on research and development. Among the company's main drugs are Lovenox for blood clots, Plavix for atherosclerosis, and Allegra for allergies. It focuses on seven main therapeutic areas: cardiovascular disease, thrombosis, oncology, diabetes, central nervous system disorders, internal medicine, and vaccines. The company also invests in interests in Washington, D.C., spending $19.2 million on lobbying since 1998.