Pfizer retain 350 jobs at Sandwich site
27 Jun 2011 by Evoluted New Media
Pfizer have decided to retain a presence on their for sale Sandwich site, securing 350 of the 2,400 jobs in pharmaceutical science that were to be lost when the company leaves the site in 2012
Pfizer have decided to retain a presence on their for sale Sandwich site, securing 350 of the 2,400 jobs in pharmaceutical science that were to be lost when the company leaves the site in 2012
When it announced its decision to leave the site in Kent, Pfizer said it was looking to externalise some of the activity to a strategic partner – contact research organisations or CROs – with the potential of providing a few hundred jobs.
These negotiations have not proved viable, so Pfizer have decided to retain a presence for these functions on the site, protecting 350 jobs.
“Securing 350 jobs on site by Pfizer is a step in the right direction and is positive news,” said Paul Carter, leader of the Kent County Council.
“We must now work with Pfizer and their marketing agent CBRE to secure further investors and businesses on-site and encourage inward investment and occupancy in a whole array of business activity.”
Carter is also chairman of the Sandwich Economic Development Task Force which was set up in February this year when Pfizer first announced its intention to leave the Sandwich site. The Task Force aim is to find an ambitious solution to minimise the impact on the local area, and to examine employment opportunities and assist the work force facing redundancy.
The Sandwich plant is Pfizer’s biggest R&D facility in Europe and houses research and development on allergy and respiratory drugs. It has been it base for drug discovery since 1954 and is responsible for some of the company’s most successful medicines including Viagra, cholesterol drug Liptor and heart drug Norvasc.
