Yet another drugmaker looks to shrink its sales team. The combination of patent cliffs, fewer regulatory approvals and, in some cases, drugs that never make it to market is forcing one company after another to throw sales reps overboard.

Sanofi-Aventis, which faces a 2011 patent expiration on its Plavix bloodthinner, is the latest to take this step. With some 6,500 reps in the US, calls went out today across the country to weed the ranks. The drugmaker declined to offer specific numbers, but a spokesman did write this:

“Sanofi-Aventis U.S. is continuing to evolve in order to deliver greater value to our customers in a rapidly changing business climate. This includes changes to our sales force to better correspond with market dynamics and customer needs. As a part of our continuing transformation, we have identified areas where we will prioritize sales support and others where reductions are necessary.”

He added that this is an “ongoing process.” As to be expected, the CafePharma chat board is filled with distressed messages (see here).

Hat tip to Bnet