Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche is cutting 4,800 jobs worldwide as part of restructuring plans.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
The posts – equal to six per cent of the group’s workforce – will be axed between 2011 and 2012, Roche said in a statement on Wednesday. In other staff movements, 800 jobs will be transferred to other Roche sites and 700 posts will be outsourced.
The initiative is expected to result in annual cost savings of SFr2.4 billion ($2.41 billion). Roche says it will enable long-term investment in research and product development.
Basel-based Roche employs around 82,000 people around the world. Most of the planned job cuts will go in the sales and marketing and manufacturing area of the pharmaceuticals division. Of the cuts, 3,500 jobs will be made in the United States, 770 in Switzerland, 1,300 in the rest of Europe and 680 in other countries.
CEO Severin Schwan said the measures were needed to “ensure the sustained success of the company” in the face of increased price pressures and a more challenging market environment.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Roche sued by British rival
This content was published on
According to GlaxoSmithKline, Roche Holding infringes patents issued in 2008 and 2010 covering antibody purification when it produces its cancer drug Herceptin. Roche, and its United States business Genentech, infringe the patent by “making and/or having made therapeutic antibody products, including without limitation Herceptin,” the complaint said. Glaxo is demanding damages to compensate for violations…
This content was published on
Having trailed behind Roche over the last few years, Novartis appeared to have turned a corner with a record-breaking performance in 2009. Roche is tipped to amply recoup the acquisition costs that dented its 2009 profits. Both Basel-based firms are standing on solid foundations and are poised to reap strong benefits in the next two…
This content was published on
Roche received two “shame” prizes at the Public Eye Awards in Davos for conducting research on transplant patients in China without knowing the origin of the organs donated. The Basel-based company won the 2010 Swiss Award in addition to the People’s Award – the latter based on an online poll. The presentation is held each…
This content was published on
Pictures from the medical history archives at Zurich University, show what it was like to study medicine in the old days. They were displayed as part of the university’s 175th anniversary celebrations in 2008. (All photos from the medical history archive).
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.