AstraZeneca makes cuts to R&D teams, cardiovascular division remains strong

AstraZeneca said it plans to cut more than 300 jobs at its research and development hub at Alderley Park, England.

Last week, the company said it was examining its global R&D structure, prompting trade unions to claim that 244 jobs were likely to go at Alderley Park–its largest site for research–which employs more than 3,500.

AstraZeneca plans to focus research on disease areas and technologies that offer the most commercial value and hope to patients. The majority of those affected at Alderley Park work on R&D into respiritory conditions, while there will be a smaller number of job losses from the cardiovascular team.

"We understand that people will be concerned and we recognize the anxiety that this will cause employees, their families and the local community. We have communicated to our staff a series of business decisions that we believe are in the long-term interests of our organization and our site here in the north west [of England],” Rodger McMillan, R&D site leader at Alderley Park, said.

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