Chris Viehbacher, the CEO of Sanofi-Aventis SA informed during an interview that they will keep shopping for acquisitions to build vaccine, biotechnology and nonprescription medicine businesses.

A big sum of 6.2 billion euros has already been spent this year on acquiring health-care companies and products as part of a strategy to bolster "five growth platforms".

The CEO said that Sanofi was particularly interested in expanding its vaccine operations exemplifying J&J's purchase of 18 percent of the Dutch vaccine company Crucell NV.

He elaborated that it was important to expand acquiring vaccine companies because the market will double in the next five years and the products are not readily produced by competitors due to the huge investment involved.

He also confirmed that they would be overtaking Shantha Biotechnics, the India-based maker of an experimental typhoid vaccine in Hyderabad.

"People thought we had to do a large-sized acquisition," Viehbacher said during the interview. "I am not saying we wouldn't, but it is highly unlikely."

The company will also be on the look-out for innovative drugs such as the experimental breast cancer drug it acquired when it agreed to pay as much as $500 million in April for BiPar Sciences Inc.

Viehbacher says that the kind of speed that can be adopted by a not-so-large drugmaker is not practically by a large scale one. "One of my goals is to replicate that kind of innovation and productivity in our R&D operation."

Sanofi shares have gone up by 11 percent this year which has increased the market value of the company and made it 66.3 billion euros.