The French Ministry of Economy and Finance has not received any request for an investment authorization concerning the pharmaceutical company Abivax, a source at Bercy said on Monday.

"No such request or file has been submitted to Bercy," the source specified.

"Bercy has no knowledge of, nor is in contact with, Eli Lilly. In the case of strategic pharmaceutical companies, the IEF procedure would be mandatory," the source added.

The IEF procedure aims to control foreign investments in France.

The digital daily La Lettre reported on Monday that the American pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly is planning to acquire the French biotech firm Abivax for a sum of €15 billion.

(Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain, written by Nicolas Delame and Sophie Louet, edited by Blandine Hénault)