As a subsidiary of Sanofi, Genzyme had a presence in approximately 65 countries, including 17 manufacturing facilities and 9 genetic-testing laboratories.

He was scheduled for a spleen removal but his mother pleaded with Roscoe Brady, MD, an expert in Gaucher's disease, to include Brian in the clinical trial of Ceredase along with the other seven patients who were all adults.

Ceredase was the first effective treatment for Gaucher's disease, a previously rare, untreatable and potentially fatal genetic disorder.

Genzyme's also sold off its interest in GENE-TRAK systems for $10 million and acquired Genecore International's diagnostic enzyme division.

[7] In 1992, Genzyme acquired Medix Biotech, Inc., a producer and supplier of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, immunoassay components, and immunodiagnostic services.

[7] In 1993, the company acquired German distributor of invitro diagnostic kits, Virotech and immunobiological products manufacturer Omni Res srl.

Ceredase was eventually replaced by Cerezyme, which, for $200,000 per patient annually for life, currently accounts for approximately 30% of Genzyme's revenue.

[19] In 2010, Genzyme launched a kidney medication for the Irish market from its Waterford base which it had set up nine years previously.

[20] Manufacturing Sites: Allston MA USA; Geel Belgium; Framingham, MA, USA; Haverhill, Suffolk UK; Waterford, Munster Ireland; In June 2009, Genzyme's Allston, Massachusetts plant was shut down to correct a viral contamination (Vesivirus 2117).

[21] In November 2009, fragments of stainless steel, rubber, and fiber-like material were discovered in some of Genzyme's drugs.

The FDA found these materials in Cerezyme, Genzyme's treatment for Gaucher disease, a rare genetic disorder that can lead to life-threatening organ damage.

The FDA is permitting the drug to stay in the market, due to a lack of adverse events, and a critical need for the product.

[25] In September 2015, Genzyme accepted responsibility and agreed to pay $32.59 million over U.S. charges against its marketing of the adhesion barrier product Seprafilm.

Genzyme's sales representatives had been instructing surgeons on how to create a "slurry" using Seprafilm for use during laparoscopic surgeries.