UK Viagra plant closes, 400 jobs lost

The company behind Viagra announced today that it is to close its manufacturing operations in the British town of Kent after 53 years, resulting in the loss of more than 400 jobs.

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which also makes smoking cessation drug Champix and cholesterol lowering medicine Lipitor, said it is to cease all manufacturing at the site in Sandwich, which is also home to one of the company’s key research and development programmes.

The group said the closure would result in the loss of around 420 jobs over the next two years, although it added that it would redeploy staff where possible.

Pfizer also pledged to provide staff with extra training to help them find work, both within the company and elsewhere.

The group has been scaling back its operations at the site since January 2005. It currently produces hi-tech active ingredients in contained conditions for use in animal and human medicines.

The Sandwich site is the group’s last remaining manufacturing facility in the UK. Production is expected to move to a number of sites, mainly in Ireland and the United States.

The decision comes as part of the company’s ongoing plans to consolidate its global manufacturing operations following the acquisition of Pharmacia in 2003.

Tony Maddaluna, vice-president of Pfizer global manufacturing, said: “It is with regret we announce our decision to end manufacturing operations in Sandwich after 53 years.”

The company’s European research and development headquarters will remain at the site, which employs around 3,600 staff in total. It is the group’s key site for development in allergies, respiratory, genito-urinary, pain, vaccines and anti-retrovirals (HIV).

Pfizer is one of the world’s largest research-based pharmaceutical companies and is the largest animal health firm. It specialises in areas such as oncology, infectious disease and HIV/Aids.

It spends more than £10 million a week on research and development in the UK and claims to be the major supplier of medicines to the NHS.