Novartis to close Horsham, UK plant after a review
With the loss of nearly 400 jobs
Swiss drugmaker Novartis will close its research and development site in Horsham, West Sussex by the end of June this year, with the loss of 371 jobs as part of a global reorganisation of its research and development operations.
The facility houses Novartis's worldwide headquarters for respiratory research. There are also up to 170 third-party suppliers and contractors at the plant.
Novartis said the move is a result of a global review of its R&D locations and where best to co-locate research teams to support collaboration.
'We do not yet know the future of the site but are committed to exploring a range of options, working closely with our partners to identify potential new owners,' the company said in a statement to Manufacturing Chemist.
These options could include the use of part of the site for a science or business park, the company added.
We do not yet know the future of the site but are committed to exploring a range of options
The closure will not affect the rest of Novartis' current UK business in developing, manufacturing and marketing prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vaccines and eye care products, as well as animal health products. The company will continue to employ more than 2,500 people and be a major inward investor to the UK.
'We will retain an extensive footprint in the UK with manufacturing sites at Grimsby (chemical operations), Liverpool (vaccines) and Dundee (animal health), commercial offices in Surrey, and a team at Sittingbourne, Kent, developing near patient diagnostic testing products.
Novartis will concentrate its R&D operations at three hubs in Boston, US; Shanghai, China and at its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.
Last month, Novartis said it was cutting more than 1,000 positions in the US and Switzerland, including the closure of a plant in Suffern, New York.