AstraZeneca cuts 550 R&D jobs here, adds work in Boston

"At AstraZeneca's facility in Wilmington, Delaware, early-stage discovery research will be stopped and related activities will be significantly reduced.  Some roles will transfer to other sites. Wilmington will continue to be a centre for late-stage Global Medicines Development." But "the company's facilities in Boston, Massachusetts will see some growth as employees transfer from other sites."

Cuts at AstraZeneca's brick complex on US 202 between Wilmington and Chadds Ford include "550 research and development" professionals "due to our exiting psychiatric laboratory research" between now and 2012, AstraZeneca spokesman Tony Jewell tells me. "That's about one-third of our research and development presence in Delaware."

Delaware moved the highway and offered tax incentives to entice AstraZeneca and over 4,000 jobs from Chester County and other Pennsylvania sites earlier this decade. But that was before the drug business itself went south... Now AstraZeneca says it's going to cut 3,500 research & development jobs worldwide. From the announcement:

"AstraZeneca intends to cease discovery efforts in the following specific diseases: thrombosis (Cardiovascular); acid reflux [part of the company's Gastrointestinal group]; ovarian and bladder cancers (Oncology); systemic scleroderma (Inflammation); schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety (Neuroscience); hepatitis C and vaccines other than respiratory syncytial virus and influenza (Infection)."

"As a result of this disease area focus and the creation of new Innovative Medicines Units and a Global Medicines Development function, AstraZeneca has proposed the merger or closure of some R&D sites over the next few years. AstraZeneca currently has 17 principal R&D centres in eight countries in Europe, North America and Asia."

Doomed to close: In the UK, labs at Avlon (though the drug factory there will stay open), Cambridge and Charnwood. The Arrow Therapeutics unit in London will be sold. R&D will be consolidated to Alderley Park, which will expand. In Sweden: the Lund site will close; lung and inflammation work will be consolidated to the Molndal R&D site.

"As previously disclosed, AstraZeneca estimates approximately 3,500 R&D positions will be affected by these changes by 2014. After taking account of relocations to other sites, investment in new capabilities and further expansion of the company's biologics activities, a net reduction of around 1,800 positions across R&D is expected. Whenever possible, AstraZeneca will make efforts to lessen the impact by re-skilling, re-deploying and, in some cases, offering relocation to affected employees. Consultation is ongoing."