Roche moving Swiss packaging ops to CMO-divested sites; 235 jobs to go
The Big Biopharma firm told in-Pharmatechnologist it is relocating its packaging unit for large-volume, established small molecule products from a production site in Kaiseraugst, Switzerland, and confirmed 235 jobs are set to go.
“This decision is based on the strategy that small molecule products should be packaged at the location where they are produced,” spokesperson Anja von Treskow said. “This allows for a more flexible design of our delivery processes as well as potentially shortening delivery times.”
As such, the majority of the plant’s packaging operations will be relocated to production facilities in Segrate, Italy and Leganes, Spain.
Both are Roche legacy manufacturing sites recently sold to contract manufacturing organisations (CMOs).
Delpharm acquired the solid and liquid forms manufacturing Segrate facility, near Milan, earlier this year and simultaneously inked a supply agreement with the Swiss pharma giant.
The Spanish facility is set to be bought by Swedish manufacturer Recipharm, which struck a similar long-term supply deal with Roche in September. The acquisition is planned to be completed in December, according to von Treskow.
Most of the lay-offs at Kaiseraugst will begin from 2019 onwards, we were told but despite the shift in jobs and production the site “remains one of our most important production sites globally.”
The news comes less than a week after Roche announced it is laying off 130 workers at its Genentech biologics manufacturing site in Vacaville.
