AstraZeneca, GSK Will Close Plants In Europe

AstraZeneca plans to close manufacturing sites in Porriño, Spain; Destelbergen, Belgium; and Umeå, Sweden, eliminating an estimated 1,400 jobs by 2013. Jobs may also be eliminated at facilities in Macclesfield, England, and Södertälje, Sweden. The plants involved primarily perform drug packaging and formulation. Meanwhile, the company says it is investing in its plant in Wuxi, China. "The moves are a continuation of AstraZeneca's program to improve the organization's productivity and efficiency," says David Smith, executive vice president of operations. In 2007, the company went through a reorganization that resulted in the elimination of 7,600 jobs. GlaxoSmithKline, meanwhile, plans to close its active pharmaceutical ingredients facility in Dartford, England, eliminating around 620 jobs. GSK says the site makes ingredients for a number of older products; it proposes to transfer production to contract manufacturing firms.