KALAMAZOO ? Some $4 billion in cuts by Pfizer, Michigan?s largest drug development company, could eliminate jobs in both Kalamazoo and Ann Arbor, where the company operates major R&D centers.
Pfizer employs about 5,200 people in Kalamazoo County, where it has operations in research, manufacturing and animal-health in Kalamazoo, Portage and Richland Township. Another 2,600 people work in Ann Arbor at Pfizer research-and-development laboratories. Pfizer eliminated about 1,100 jobs in Kalamazoo County after it purchased Pharmacia in 2003.
In a statement, Pfizer said it will stop development work on antibacterials and central nervous system diseases at its Ann Arbor research center, a move that “will result in staff reductions.” Company spokesman Rick Chambers said the work will be sent to other Pfizer research locations elsewhere ? the exact number is unknown because staffers work across therapeutic areas. The company also said it would stop performing “pharmaceutical sciences activities” in Kalamazoo and Portage.
While some positions of this area may be moved to Ann Arbor “there will be a net reduction in pharmaceutical sciences staff,” the statement said. Chambers said the process could take at least two years and no final figures can now be estimated. Sales and marketing activities also will be aligned. The end result ? net job losses in Michigan.
Pfizer announced in April it would cut operating costs by 12 percent over three years in a worldwide restructuring that would include job cuts and consolidation of operations.
Ann Arbor is home to several areas of core research for Pfizer, especially in the treatment of cardiovascular disease and central nervous system disorders. It is one of Pfizer’s six main research centers, which combined employ about 15,000 workers, or 10 percent of Pfizer’s total staff. The firm also operates a site in Kalamazoo, a former Pharmacia Corp. unit acquired by Pfizer last year. That site has 5,000 workers, but only about 1,000 are dedicated to R&D.
