Media Advisory / Photo Session and Interview Opportunity - Exclusive meeting with Alexandre Bilodeau, international athlete and new brand ambassador of Synvisc-One® by Sanofi Canada

LAVAL, QC, Jan. 13, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - Sanofi Canada, a leading healthcare company, invites media representatives to meet Canadian athlete Alexandre Bilodeau who, along with alpine snowboarder Caroline Calvé, is the new brand ambassador of Synvisc-One®, a treatment that offers joint protection and pain relief for osteoarthritis of the knee.

Don't miss this opportunity to meet Alexandre Bilodeau as he returns from a series of World Cup events. Caroline Calvé will also be available from Italy via telephone or Skype as she prepares for her next World Cup event in Slovenia.

What:	Photo session and interview opportunity New partnership with Sanofi Canada
Who:	Alexandre Bilodeau, two-time world champion in parallel freestyle skiing
	Caroline Calvé, the first Canadian to win the women's parallel giant slalom event at the World Cup.
	Sanofi Canada representatives will be on-site
When:	Thursday, January 16, 2014, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Where:	Montreal Science Centre - President's Lounge - 2, de la Commune St. West Montreal, QC H2Y 4B2

About the athletes

Alexandre Bilodeau (freestyle skiing) is the first athlete in Canadian history to win a gold medal on Canadian soil during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Alexandre brought home the silver in men's moguls during the 2011 and 2013 FIS World Championships, is a three-time FIS dual moguls world champion, and won the 2008-2009 Crystal Globe (FIS World Cup men's freestyle skiing champion).

Caroline Calvé (alpine snowboarding) is a five-time World Cup medallist, boasts two World Cup victories (December 2011, dual giant slalom in Carezza; and February 2013, dual slalom, Moscow). She recently won the dual slalom event at the World Cup in Italy.

About Sanofi
Sanofi, an integrated global healthcare leader, discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions focused on patients' needs. Sanofi has core strengths in the field of healthcare with seven growth platforms: diabetes solutions, human vaccines, innovative drugs, consumer healthcare, emerging markets, animal health and the new Genzyme. Sanofi is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY).

Sanofi entities in Canada include Sanofi Canada (pharmaceuticals), Sanofi Pasteur (vaccines), Sanofi Consumer Health (health and beauty), Genzyme (rare diseases) and Merial (animal health). Together they employ more than 1,700 people across the country. In 2012 Sanofi companies invested $122 million in R&D in Canada, creating jobs, business and opportunity throughout the country.

About Synvisc-One^®
Synvisc-One^® (hylan G-F 20) is a visco-supplement injection for osteoarthritis of the knee¹.  Made from a substance that lubricates and cushions your joint, Synvisc-One^® can provide knee pain relief and improved mobility over 6 months, with just one simple injection.  Synvisc-One^® is only intended for intra-articular use by a physician to treat pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee. Visit www.synviscone.ca to learn more, take an online knee pain assessment test and find a sports medicine clinic near you.

Synvisc^®/Synvisc-One^® (hylan G-F 20) is for intra-articular injection to treat pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee.  Synvisc^®/Synvisc-One^® contains small amounts of avian protein and should not be used in patients with related hypersensitivities.  Adverse events involving the injected knee after intra-articular injections of Synvisc^®/Synvisc-One^® may include: transient pain and/or swelling and/or effusion.  The post marketing experience has identified the following systemic events to occur rarely with Synvisc^®/Synvisc-One^® administration: rash, hives, itching, fever, nausea, headache, dizziness, chills, muscle cramps, paresthesia, peripheral oedema, malaise, respiratory difficulties, flushing and facial swelling. If venous or lymphatic stasis is present, Synvisc^®/Synvisc-One^® should not be injected into the knee.  Synvisc^®/Synvisc-One^® should not be used in infected or inflamed knees or in patients having skin diseases or infections in the area of the injection site.

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¹    SYNVISC®/Synvisc-One® Product Monographs, Genzyme Canada Inc., July 18, 2008/March 2, 2009.

 

SOURCE: Sanofi Canada

For more information or to schedule an interview with Alexandre Bilodeau or Caroline Calvé, please contact:

Louis Payette
Argyle Communications
416-968-7311, ext. 257
[email protected]

Bridget Ann Peterson
Massy Forget Langlois Public Relations
514-842-2455, ext. 26 - Mobile: [phone]
[email protected]