Sanofi Adds Firepower in Exiting $13 Billion Regeneron Stake

Sanofi is selling a stake in Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. valued at about $13 billion, giving the French drugmaker more firepower to potentially snap up promising assets in the cancer, gene therapy and rare-disease fields.

The Regeneron exit, part of Sanofi Chief Executive Officer Paul Hudson’s revamped strategy to focus on fast-growing areas, is sparking speculation he’ll hunt for more targets following a deal in December to buy biotech company Synthorx Inc. for $2.5 billion. The transaction will boost Sanofi’s war chest to $50 billion, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.

Regeneron has agreed to repurchase $5 billion of its stock ...