AUGUST 7, 2021 — GSK CLOSING CARLISLE, PENNSYLVANIA PLANT WITH 308 LAYOFFS. PRODUCTION OUTSOURCED TO PUERTO RICO.
The company has confirmed that it will close a manufacturing facility in Carlisle, Pennsylvania with the production of Emergen-C, a powdered drink mix vitamin C supplement, ending by mid-year 2021. 308 employees will be impacted by the closure.
According to a company statement, “After careful review, GSK has decided to close the Carlisle, PA site to consolidate volumes and generate efficiencies by moving the site’s production to our Guayama, Puerto Rico facility. Based on this decision, which impacts approximately 308 employees, production will be phased out of Carlisle by mid-2021, with a full exit by April 2022.
Reminder: Many management decisions may be driven by activist investor Elliott Management.
Update: 9/11/21 — changed employee count and full exit date.
JULY 7, 2021 — GSK CLOSING MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE PLANT
The company has announced that it will be closing its facility on President’s Island by September 2022, and laying off all 156 current workers. Layoffs began in June 2021.
Under extreme pressure from activist investor Elliott Management, GSK is planning to split in two and plans to spin off its consumer products group to concentrate on vaccines and pharmaceuticals. The facility produces Polident denture cleaning products and other oral care brands.
APRIL 22, 2019 — GSK LAYOFFS IN PENNSYLVANIA
GSK announced that it will lay off about 100 employees at its research and development center in Upper Providence, Pennsylvania as part of a reorganization that will refocus the company’s research on genetics, the immune system, and oncology.
A GSK spokesperson offered, “The future direction of our portfolio has become clearer, prioritizing innovation and moving toward delivering a pipeline of transformational medicines with a focus on immunology, genetically validated targets, and finding platforms and technologies that amplify our science. We anticipate a small number of roles will be directly impacted by these changes but continue to expect GSK’s R&D operations to grow overall with increased investment.”
OCTOBER 18, 2018 — GSK SHEDS 100 EMPLOYEES IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE FACILITY
GSK Consumer Health-Global Manufacturing & Supply, a division of GlaxoSmithKline, will be permanently laying off approximately 100 jobs at their President’s Island facility in Memphis, Tennessee. The decision was driven by the end of a contract manufacturing agreement.
SEPTEMBER 19, 2018 — Original post…
Brentford, London-based pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has announced that it would be implementing is previously-announced restructuring plan and laying off 650 employees in the United States; including 450 national field sales representatives and 100 “back office” employees in both their Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Research Triangle Park, North Carolina offices.
In its July 2018 Second Quarter earnings release, the company noted that “Focused improvements in operating performance have helped deliver increases in earnings and cash flow.” Chief Executive Emma Walmsley also announced “a new major restructuring program, which aims to significantly improve the competitiveness and efficiency of the Group’s cost base with savings delivered primarily through supply chain optimization and reductions in administrative costs.”
For those who are following the pharmaceutical industry in the trade press, the restructuring and layoffs should come as no surprise. Especially with the increased use of consumer-direct advertising through radio, television, and targeted social media outlets and the reduction in drug “detail” sales representatives calling on physicians. Drugs coming off-patent, the rise of generic bio-similar products, and the pricing pressures of large drug purchasing intermediaries are also weighing heavily on the industry.
Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?