Johnson & Johnson picked up a plant in Vacaville, California, nearly 20 years ago with its $10.5 billion buyout of Alza, a deal that also gave it attention-deficit disorder drug Concerta and cancer drug Doxil. Janssen is now focused in other areas and has decided the plant is no longer needed.
Nearly 50 employees are slated to be let go next week, according to a California WARN notice (PDF), as J&J’s pharmaceutical unit Janssen begins a three-year phaseout, a spokesman said in an email. The company declined to say how many total employees work there.
J&J says the closure is part of an effort to rework its manufacturing network as its drug portfolio changes.
“As part of this transformation, we will scale down production at our Vacaville, California facility with the intent to fully exit the site by the end of 2022,” J&J spokesman Matthew Johnson said.
Janssen, like other drugmakers, is putting more effort into areas such as immunology that involve biologic drugs. In the fourth quarter, sales of its Stelara worldwide grew by 33.6% on the back of its launch in Crohn’s disease, while psoriasis drug Tremfya has nabbed a 6.6% share of an ultracompetitive U.S. market since its July 2017 debut.
By Eric Palmer
Source: Fierce Pharma
Giovanni Caforio, the former CEO of Bristol Myers Squibb, is set to become the next board chairman of Novartis, which on Tuesday proposed the pharmaceutical industry veteran as its pick to replace Joerg Reinhardt in the role next year. Reinhardt has served as Novartis’ chair since 2013 and plans to retire when his 12-year term ends in 2025.
GE HealthCare has raised the curtain on two ultrasound systems equipped with artificial intelligence programs designed to assist in diagnosing conditions in women’s health, including obstetric exams. The Voluson Signature 20 and 18 imaging systems include AI tools capable of automatically identifying and annotating measurements of fetal anatomy.
Scientists from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Chemistry have revealed a new sustainable method of manufacturing complex molecules that could reduce waste produced during drug production. The method published in Nature Chemistry could help to prevent severe side effects caused by drugs that can exist as enantiomers.
