This is a consequence of the sale of Horlicks' and 'MaxiNutrition' brands
EUROPE PRESS – 2017/07/19 – the Economist
British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will cut 320 jobs in the UK following its decision to sell 'Horlicks' and 'MaxiNutrition', which, according to the multinational, will involve the closure of a production centre.
GSK, which employs around 17,000 people in the UK, said on Wednesday it planned to sell the 'Horlicks' brand and close its manufacturing center in the town of Slough, as well as phase out the 'MaxiNutrition' brand and explore options to divest into other smaller nutrition brands.
In the pharmaceutical sector, the British company will carry out an evaluation of its cephalosporin manufacturing business, with the possibility of selling this business, including its manufacturing facilities located in the towns of Ulverston, Barnard Castle and the county of Cumbria, and in Verona (Italy).
In addition, the pharmaceutical industry has decided to outsource part of its manufacturing activity to its Worthing (UK) plant and has decided not to proceed with its intention to invest in the construction of a biopharmaceutical center in Ulverston considering that "this additional capacity is no longer needed".
On the other hand, the company will be investing more than £140 million (€158 million) in its centers in Ware, Hertfordshire, Barnard Castle, Co Durham and Montrose up to 2020 to support the expansion of the production of medicines to treat respiratory problems and HIV.
“We have a substantial manufacturing presence in the UK and continue to support this network with an investment of over £140m over the next 3 years,” said Roger Connor, president of global GSK's manufacturing and supply area. “At the same time, we have to make choices that we know will cause uncertainty for some of our employees,” he added.
Verona, Glaxo closes: 300 workers at risk
Glaxo Smith Kleine risks leaving Verona. As Alessio Corazza writes on Courier of the Veneto in the Verona edition on page 5, la pharmaceutical multinational is undergoing a period of strategic reorganization to face increased competition in the market against its broad-spectrum antibiotics, le cephalosporins. Glaxo therefore wants to move on to more profitable businesses such as that of vaccines. The multinational could now close and sell its 3 plants that produce cephalosporins: two are located in England and one in Verona where they are employed 300 employees.
The escape of the managers had anticipated the decision: in recent days Daniele Finocchiaro and Marco Malaguti, site director of Glaxo Manufacturing, had in fact left. The other division present in Verona, the Pharma, however, will not be affected by the parent company's cuts. The division develops respiratory drugs, antibiotics such as Augmentin and vaccines such as herpes vaccine. Approximately 900 employees are employed in Pharma. Glaxo has been present in Verona since 1932, the year it was founded by Peter Gent and Guglielmo Bompiani.
