Novartis Restructures

Novartis plans to reorganize parts of its domestic workforce, eliminating as many as 500 jobs in its pharmaceutical division in an effort to cut costs to support new product launches. Most of the job cuts will be in support functions at its headquarters, as well as operational roles in development.
 
According to the company, the changes will include an equal number of jobs being cut and created in Switzerland this year, and expects its overall headcount in the country to remain at  approximately 15,000. The company plans to add several hundred positions in oncology development, OTC manufacturing, and supply chain management at its generics unit Sandoz.
 
The pending product launches include branded and generic respiratory drugs and treatments for heart disease, lung cancer and skin disease. The company’s heart failure drug serelaxin, and treatment plaque psoriasis, secukinumab, are currently under review.
 
Last November Novartis announced plans to close sites in England and Austria and would eliminate about 500 jobs at its research operations.
 
Additionally, Novartis plans to close its manufacturing site in Suffern, NY within the next three years, impacting its 525 employees. The Suffern site manufactures the blood pressure drug Diovan, which has had declining sales following the loss of patent exclusivity in 2012 in the U.S. Some employees will be transferred to other facilities, according to the company. 
 
Novartis Pharmaceuticals, owned by Switzerland-based Novartis International AG, has several other plants in the area, including sites in East Hanover and Florham Park, NJ.