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Astra Zeneca announced today that it would cut 1400 jobs and close several manufacturing facilities worldwide. According to a post on the Pharmalot blog “about 600 full-time jobs will be lost in Sweden as packaging operations are expanded in Wuxi, China. The cuts will come on top of the 7,600 positions the drugmaker plans to eliminate by 2010. The plant closings will occur in Spain, Belgium and Sweden by 2013. Manufacturing jobs will also be trimmed in Sweden and the UK as production is shifted to lower-cost countries in emerging markets.”

On Tuesday Wyeth disclosed that it was eliminating 70 positions at its Pearl River, New York, facility (which employs 3,200 workers, 118 employees at its Rouses Point facility in upstate New York that employs 725 people work, and 124 jobs at its Sanford, North Carolina manufacturing facility. Ironically, as more and more US workers are laid off, many big pharma companies like Merck, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline are expanding operations at their research facilities in India. In fact, Merck is doubling its headcount from 800 to 1,600 employees at its research facility in India that was opened a little over a year ago.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Keep on Looking!!!!

 

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Let me begin with the good news. The Indianapolis Business journal reported today that Schwarz Pharma Manufacturing, Inc is planning a $12 million expansion of its Seymour, Indiana manufacturing plant and distribution center. When completed the expansion is expected to increase the company's employment in the southern Indiana city from 366 to 516 by 2011. The drug maker-a unit of Schwarz Pharma AG of Monheim, Germany-said it plans to begin hiring managers, business associates and production staff later this month.

And now, the bad news. The Pharmalot Blog reported today that the New Jersey-based generic manufacturer Par Pharmaceuticals is eliminating 26 percent of its workforce expected to save from $45 million to $55 million a year. Jobs will be lost in manufacturing, research and development, and other departments. How much more downsizing and job elimination can New Jersey take before it goes bankrupt? Maybe Icelanders can shed some light on that?

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting

 

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It was only a matter of time after J & J launched its health channel on YouTube two weeks ago, that other pharma companies would begin to post videos on video-sharing sites. As a general rule, nobody in pharma wants to be first but after the first company takes the plunge, nobody wants to be left out or behind. Therefore, it came as no surprise when late last week, GlaxoSmithKline (which has a tendency to be second-to-market with competing products), launched a beta version of it so-called GSKCIC channel on You\Tube.

 According to a post on the Pharmalot blog, so far there are only two videos on the channel. One describes the company ongoing commitment and fight against disease in the developing world (ironically, the video ends prematurely).The second, which is full length, features CEO Andrew Witty telling us about his career at GSK (which began in 1985 as a management trainee) and how GSK is looking for a few good employees who “like a good challenge.” Curiously, the day after the Witty video appeared on YouTube, GSK announced that it was laying off about 90 workers or 10% of its work force at its manufacturing plant in Zebulon, North Carolina. A company spokesperson said that more cuts are expected at the North Carolina facility.

Maybe someone at GSK ought to tell its CEO that the company isn’t hiring at the moment?????????

Hat tip to Ed at Pharmalot!

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!

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I want to thank my esteemed colleague, Ed Silverman at Pharmalot, for the heads up on this post.  As part of Wyeth’s asset realignment program dubbed “Project Impact”, the company announced today that it would cut another 1,200 jobs at “all facilities in all capacities.”  Meanwhile, late last Friday 141 people at Wyeth’s Pearl River, NY, facility were laid off. Most of the jobs that were cut were in manufacturing and R&D. Of interest, last Friday was also Bob Essner’s last day as Wyeth’s CEO (he will continue as Chairman through December 31, 2008). For those of you who may be interested, Bob’s total compensation package in 2007 was about $20 million (his base salary was a paltry $1.73 million).

The most recent layoffs were made as part of the drug maker’s previously announced plan to cut up to 10 percent of its global workforce of 50,000 by 2011. Wyeth executives contend that Project Impact is warranted because of increased generic drug competition and a weak product pipeline. As you may recall, Wyeth previously laid off 1,240 sales reps late last month due to sagging sales of several of its consumer and pharmaceutical brands.

These new layoffs couldn’t come at a worst time for Wyeth employees. For those of you who still have jobs at the company, I highly recommend that you begin to explore alternative career opportunities. It is going to be a long and difficult ride!

Until next time… 

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (if there are any left) !!!!!!!

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Eli Lilly & Co. announced today that it will eliminate 500 jobs at its manufacturing facility in Indianapolis, IN. The cuts will affect sites that manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients for Lilly’s insulin products Humalog® and Humulin® and its osteoporosis medicine Forteo®.

Lilly is offering incentive packages for those employees who voluntarily leave the company. The company has already reduced its global headcount by twelve percent or about 5,500 people since 2004.

Times are tough and getting tougher each day in pharma land. Buckle up–its going to be a rough ride for jobseekers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (avoid Indianapolis, who wants to be a Hoosier anyway?)

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Genzyme Corp announced yesterday that it plans to expand it research and manufacturing facilities in Waterford, Ireland. Genzyme originally set up the facility in 2001 and plans to add another 170 employees, expanding its Irish workforce to 600.

This is second time in less than a year that Waterford (internationally known for its crystal manufacturing) has received an investment from a foreign drug manufacturer. Israeli generic drug manufacturer TEVA made a $100 million dollar to expand its Waterford operations and boost its Irish workforce from 650 to 815.

The Irish government said it was offering assistance to subsidize the $200 million Genzyme expansion at the Waterford site. The amount and terms of the subsidiary were confidential and not disclosed. At present, drug companies with operations in Ireland  employ 25, 000 people.

Genzyme, with expertise in developing drugs to treat rare disorders, kidney disease and cancer, employs more than 10,000 people worldwide.

This is more good news for Ireland!

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (in Ireland)!!!!!!!

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Teva Pharmaceuticals announced  yesterday that it will invest €65 million in its facility in Waterford, Ireland, and that it is creating an additional 165 new jobs over five years. Teva has three pharmaceutical plants and a research and development facility on its Waterford campus which was previously owned by IVAX Corporation. The expansion has been helped by grants from Ireland’s inward investment promotion agency, IDA Ireland. 

The existing facility supplies Teva's European respiratory products and also makes a range of treatments for the US market. The site is also Teva’s main research centre for respiratory products. The investment is expected to double the production capacity of both its inhaler and tablet manufacturing capacity. Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. acquired the respiratory products business as part of its acquisition of the IVAX Corporation in January 2006. 

This is good news for the Irish pharmaceutical manufacturing industry which has been experiencing something of a slow down over the past year or so.

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!

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Allergan Inc., the maker of Botox, will close a plant in Ireland, eliminating 300 jobs, and transfer production to a factory in Costa Rica.

Ireland has lost about 10 percent of its manufacturing jobs over the last six years, as labor costs climb. As many of you may know, many US pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies set up production facilities in Ireland over the past 10 years or so because of its well trained workforce and lower labor costs.  However, because the Irish economy has grown so quickly and its middle has prospered, labor costs have been rising and manufacturers are now looking elsewhere to control costs. Unfortunately, this is likely to be harbinger of things to come for markets that were once sources of cheap, skilled labor.

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting Lasses and Laddies!!!!!!!!

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 that 660 jobs will be lost at a Pfizer manufacturing facility in Terre Haute, Ind., a result of Pfizer Inc.'s decision to stop production of its inhaled insulin product Exubera.

Nat Ricciardi, president of Pfizer Global Manufacturing, announced Pfizer's decision to cut staff in Terra Haute because the company did not have another use for the specialized Indiana-based production facility.

Facility workers were told of the decision on Monday morning and that told layoffs would begin in March. The production facility employs about 800 workers in total and a majority of the affected employees are those hired within the last five years to produce Exubera. The remaining 140 workers will support the company's sterile manufacturing operation that included antibiotic production.

When the company announced plans in October to discontinue Exubera, it also said about 60 jobs would be lost at its manufacturing plant in Portage, Ind. They are among a total off 200 jobs the company has said will be cut here before the end of this year.

A Pfizer spokesperson said the company is "committed to providing whatever assistance our colleagues need, including internal job postings, job search tools, career and retirement counseling and severance benefits for those who leave the company." It appears that the Midwest is starting to feel pain associated with contraction of the pharmaceutical industry.

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (forget the Midwest)!!!!!!!!!!

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Reuters reported today that Merck & Co Inc has sold a manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania to PRWT Services Inc, as part of Merck's global restructuring of its manufacturing operations.

PRWT Services has entered into a five-year supply agreement with Merck valued at $100 million to $200 million a year, the companies said in a statement.

The Cherokee manufacturing plant in Riverside, Pennsylvania, employs 400 people, and produces antibiotics for humans and animals. As many of you may know, Merck’s CEO, Richard Clark ran manufacturing operations at Merck for 30 years before being appointed its top executive. Maybe he knows something that we don’t about the future of antibiotics?

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!

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Pfizer said on Tuesday it will eliminate another 40 workers from factories in Puerto Rico. Pfizer closed a plant in Arecibo, Puerto Rico in 2005 and last year announced 210 layoffs in the U.S. Caribbean island territory

As pointed out by Ed Silverman over at Pharmalot, Puerto Rico has long been a manufacturing hub for US pharmaceutical companies. Over the past 30 years, pharmaceutical manufacturing has accounted for a quarter of the island’s gross domestic product and currently employs about 20,000 Puerto Rican citizens.

Over the past few years, companies like Watson Pharmaceuticals (generics), GlaxoSmithKline, Teva (generics), Bristol Myers Squibb and Schering Plough have either closed or will close manufacturing facilities on the Island. These closings were somewhat surprising because the Puerto Rican workforce is one of the best pharmaceutical manufacturing workforces in the world. That said, US pharmaceutical companies are looking elsewhere to produce their drugs because of rising wages, changing tax structures and the high cost of electricity (supplied by oil-fired power plants) on the island. Further, over the past decade, there have been ongoing compliance and quality assurance problems at many of the shuttered manufacturing facilities. Officials from these companies explained that it was less costly to shut down and move operations elsewhere rather than modernize the plants and bring them into regulatory compliance.

Despite these recent facility closings, the island’s pharmaceutical manufacturing industry still produces 13 of 20 best selling drugs in the US. However that number will likely continue to dwindle over the next few years. Many companies that have closed or are considering closing production facilities are moving operations to Asian destinations like Singapore, China, Thailand (and even Vietnam) where there are trained workforces, lower wages and cost structures and many people speak English.

Unlike most pharmaceutical companies, Amgen, Abbot and Lilly recently built or relocated biomanufacturing operations to Puerto Rico. Because of a trained workforce and Puerto Rico’s ongoing familiarity with FDA regulatory requirements, I suspect that other biotechnology and specialty pharmaceutical companies will consider establishing biomanufacturing facilities in Puerto Rico– pharma’s loss may well be biotech’s gain!!!!

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!

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