A cocksure Jean-Francois Dehecq says he’s entirely certain that Sanofi-Aventis’ two major shareholders - the Total oil company and the L’Oreal cosmetics giant - won’t damage its interests, even as they plan to sell their shares. Their combined stakes amount to 23 percent of the drugmaker.

“I am entirely confident. Thirty four years of experience give me confidence that our leading shareholders will not act against the company,” Jean-Francois intoned at the annual shareholder meeting. “They will not put the company in danger.”

Total’s head Christophe de Margerie said earlier this month the company would sell its 13 percent stake soon. L’Oreal said in February its 10 percent holding was not strategic but that it would remain a loyal shareholder. Total has linked its sale to the outcome of the Plavix patent trial, and has also said it could support a merger and acquisition deal, if was in Sanofi’s interest.

But the supremely confident Dehecq also dismissed the idea that the drugmaker needs hard-core shareholders as “of another age,” adding the company needed to defend its interests “using what we are good at.”

Hmm…Good at what, exactly? If he means the sort of judgment that guided decisions about providing Ketek data to the FDA, then perhaps, shareholders should be worried.