GSK to shut down R&D unit in Poznan

2010-02-10

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced plans to close down the Product Development Unit at its factory in Poznan. Talks are currently underway about the exact timetable of the closure.
As Justyna Czarnoba of GSK’s Polish operation explained, the move reflected a wider a strategic reorientation at the UK-based firm, which involves a concentration of its research efforts on a selected group of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, MS or Parkinson’s. According to GSK, the bringing to market of new medicines in these areas will be faster and cheaper.
The R&D unit in Poznan employs 40 people. In recent years its researchers have been engaged in the development of new medicines in areas such as the nervous system, the gastrointestinal tract, and tropical diseases.
In a statement, GSK stressed that the closure of the R&D facility would not affect manufacturing operations in Poznan or the company’s commercial activities on the Polish pharma market. This indicates that GSK will press ahead with the project to shift some of the production of Avodart, an urology drug, from France to Poznan. The project, announced early last month, is to involve investments at the Poznan plant worth PLN 70m (€17.1m).