AstraZeneca to shut down twin Colorado manufacturing sites, impacting over 200 jobs
pharmafile | January 10, 2019 | News story | Manufacturing and Production | AstraZeneca, US, job cuts, pharma
UK-based drug firm AstraZeneca has revealed it is set to shed more than 200 positions from its operations at two sites in the US state of Colorado in a bit to consolidate and bolster operational efficiency.
The cutbacks, made in the counties of Boulder and Longmont, are in the name of amalgamating “the biologics manufacturing network in one large-scale drug substance facility”, according to the company.
“Approximately 210 employees are impacted and those employees will exit the organisation (22 March) with full decommissioning of the facilities to be completed by fourth quarter 2019,” explained company spokeswoman Michele L Meixell. “We will work with employees on a one-on-one basis to assess opportunities, including other potential roles within the organisation.”
Both sites were acquired only recently by the drugmaker. The facility in Boulder, previously owned by Amgen, was snapped up in 2015 for $14.6 million, while the 70-acre Longmont site was acquired in 2016 for $64.5 million.
Clif Harald, Executive Director of the Boulder Economic Council, lamented the cuts: “We’re very concerned about the impact of this decision on the employees. We didn’t see it coming. But all tech is volatile. It isn’t a complete surprise, but it wasn’t expected,” adding that the displaced workers may well find work in the greater Denver area’s thriving bioscience culture, which is home to 700 such business with over 16,000 employees.
Matt Fellows
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