NOVARTIS TO CUT 500 JOBS IN HORSHAM, UK

Wednesday, 16th March

Swiss drugs giant Novartis reveals UK jobs cuts plan

Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis has announced job cuts at its Horsham site in West Sussex.

A company spokesman said Novartis planned to reduce the total workforce of 950 at the site by 550.

The move comes as a further blow to the UK's pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) industry.

In February, Pfizer said would close its research and development facility at Sandwich in Kent, which employs 2,400 people.

Of the 950 employees on the Horsham campus approximately 330 are dedicated to respiratory research.

"With significant changes in healthcare systems aimed to contain or cut cost, this critical assessment and the subsequent potential changes to the Novartis UK organisation are key to maintain significant investment in innovative drugs and our research efforts in the UK," said Sue Webb, general manager at Novartis, in a statement.

The drugs industry in general is scaling back investment in R&D, despite the need to find new medicines as the patents on older drugs expire.

The Novartis and Pfizer plans will be implemented over the next two years.

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Also, Novartis announces job cuts in Britain

The Basel-based pharmaceutical giant Novartis has announced plans to shed about 500 jobs in Britain over the course of the next two years.

The jobs will be lost at the Horsham site in southern England. Novartis said on Wednesday that it would end manufacturing there entirely, and relocate some of the research and development currently conducted at the site.

Novartis has 950 staff in Horsham, out of a total of more than 3,500 in Britain as a whole.

The move comes as the patents on some of Novartis’ best selling medicines approach their expiry date, forcing the group to streamline its business.

The job cuts in Britain are part of worldwide cutbacks by the Novartis, which has a total workforce of about 119,000.

And: http://www.pharmatimes.com/Article/11-03-17/Novartis_to_cut_500_jobs_in_south_of_England.aspx