CORRECTED - Sanofi agrees to buy Swiss generics group

(Corrects para 3 to show focusing on growing through small and mid sized deals, not aiming to grow size of Sanofi to 15 billion euros)

ZURICH, July 28 (Reuters) - French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis (SASY.PA) has agreed to buy generics maker Helvepharm from Swiss health care group Von Rose, boosting its position in copy-cat generics medicines.

Helvepharm expects sales of 31 million Swiss francs ($29.03 million) in 2009 and has a Swiss market share of about 5.4 percent, Von Rose said on Tuesday, without giving further financial details of the transaction.

Sanofi's chief executive, Chris Viehbacher, has said he aims to focus on small and mid-sized deals in generics, emerging markets, vaccines, consumer health and biotechnology. [ID:nLQ637301] ($1=1.068 Swiss Franc) (Reporting by Sam Cage; editing by Simon Jessop)