Fresh jobs blow for drugs industry

03/02/12

By Dominic Rees

More job losses in the pharmaceuticals industry are set to add to the growing number of unemployed people in the UK.

Fresh cuts announced by AstraZeneca come a year after rival Pfizer said it would halt production at its plant in Sandwich, Kent, which employed 2,400 people.

AstraZeneca, which has already cut 21,600 staff globally since 2007, said it now has to reduce its workforce by a further 7,300.

The announcement will be a blow for the Government which was hoping manufacturing firms would spearhead a return to growth in the UK economy.

AstraZeneca, which has 61,000 employees across the world, said it does not yet know how many of its 8,000 UK staff will be affected by the decision.

The firm is the UK's second biggest drugs maker, with sites in Alderley Park, Cheshire, Macclesfield, Cambridge, Luton, Avlon near Bristol, Paddington in London, and Brixham in Devon.