Novartis to close Japanese r&d base
Swiss company Novartis is to close its only new-drug development base in Japan at the end of this year.
Swiss company Novartis is to close its only new-drug development base in Japan at the end of this year.
The Novartis Tsukuba Research Institute was set up in 1993 at a cost of ¥16.5bn (Euro 104m). Local subsidiary Novartis Pharma said its parent had decided to close the research centre and consolidate operations at its US r&d base as part of a global reorganisation designed to cut costs and improve r&d efficiency.
GlaxoSmithKline closed its r&d bases in Tsukuba last spring, and similar closures by other leading European and US drug firms are expected.