Roche Sheds Small-Molecule Manufacturing

Citing underutilized capacity, Roche has announced a major overhaul of its drug chemical manufacturing network. In a move that will affect 1,200 jobs, the Swiss pharma firm is shedding four sites, located in Clarecastle, Ireland; Leganés, Spain; Segrate, Italy; and Florence, S.C. Roche will meanwhile sink roughly $300 million into a site in Kaiseraugst, Switzerland, to support novel manufacturing technology. Roche, which hopes to find a buyer for the facilities, expects restructuring costs will total $1.6 billion between 2016 and 2021. As it pares back its small-molecule manufacturing, Roche notes that it has put more than $2 billion into biologics manufacturing capacity in the past two years.