By the end of 2023, the Swiss drugmaker said it will shutter the Sandoz oral solid dosage plant in Wilson, North Carolina, where it produces tablets and capsules for Canada and the US. Nearly 250 jobs are at risk.

Novartis told US media that employees will not transfer automatically in the event that the business they work for is sold to an outside buyer. While the company said it will continue to look for divestment opportunities, it won’t guarantee any jobs.

A spokesperson told US media that the Wilson closure is not related to the spinoff plan and the shutdown would have proceeded regardless, due to stiff US competition and pricing pressure.

Novartis originally planned to close the plant this year, but extended the process into late 2023 to ensure that product transfers to other sites are completed.

Earlier this year, the pharma giant said it planned to trim roughly 8,000 of its 108,000-member global workforce as part of a $1 billion cost-cutting plan. Half of the job losses will be in leadership positions, Novartis confirmed to journalists during a media event in Zurich.

Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist