Researchers work in a medical lab of Novartis in Shanghai. (Photo : Getty Images)
Novartis is cutting off jobs in China, Singapore and Switzerland as parts of efforts to centralize its operations.
According to Reuters, the Swiss pharmaceutical company will be slashing 18 positions in Shanghai as it shuts down its development center in the city. However, the group will continue the operations of its recently opened Shanghai campus, on which the company splurged $1 billion.
"The NIBR research and development center in Shanghai is established to discover and develop new therapies that address the unmet medical needs of patients in China," a spokesman told Reuters. About 500 personnel work in the research and development department in the campus.
Meanwhile, the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD), the company's research facility in Singapore, will be relocated to Emeryville, California as newly appointed president of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research James Bradner bares his strategic plan.
"It's a difficult decision," said Dr. Bradner, as quoted by The Straits Times.
"Moving the NITD is really intended to empower the research through the strength of collaborative proximity," Dr. Bradner added.
The NITD was established in 2002 as a public-private partnership between the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and Novartis. The center currently employs 85 physicians, scientists and other professionals.
Despite the move, the pharmaceutical company still expects to work with Singapore-based scientists and medical professionals particularly in the field of digital medicine.
Christopher Snook, Novartis Singapore's country president, told The Straits Times that the company will "work with affected staff one-on-one" and assist them in applying for positions at the California center or see other options within the company.
Since announcing a new strategy for its pharmaceutical department, Novartis has been cutting off its costly operations. Last August, the company shut down its Cell and Gene Therapy division, axing about 120 jobs, most of which are based in the U.S.
