Sanofi-Aventis - Top 10 Layoffs of 2009

Company: Sanofi-Aventis
Layoffs: 750

Scoop: Though estimates ran as high as 1,500 cuts, Sanofi revealed last month that it had eliminated 750 sales reps. Two hundred of those people will be eligible to apply for other sales jobs in the company.

Like so many other developers on this year's list, France-based Sanofi is bracing itself for the coming patent cliff. Its sleeping pill Ambien and cancer treatment Eloxatin are already facing generic competition. But the biggest blow will come in 2011 when its mega-blockbuster drug Plavix loses patent protection. There are more cuts to come; Sanofi is still in the process of reducing its oncology sales rep staff.