Ha bloody Ha - ex Charnwood

Highly likely. Some say that this was threatened last time and that's why JL jumped ship as he wasn't prepared to screw them.

Is Södertälje just CNS or are there other RAs there ? How likely is a site closure

PharmaGossip someone think it would be in UK (http://pharmagossip.blogspot.com/). I'll guess it would be 1000 in each region, 1000 us salesforce, 1000 in Södertälje CNS and 1000 in AP/Macc

just as i posted that last comment i got a text from a colleague to say AZ are severely cutting CNS so the Södertälje comment was correct, good luck to anyone affected!

Also most sales force are being moved out of CNS and into primary care in the states at the moment.

I heard end of last year that it was mainly anciliry and support functions taking the brunt, with a little "fat trimming" in RAs although if i were in Södertälje i'd be most worried.

So, which sites or which functions will take the hit this time (besides the 1150 rep in US saleforce)?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/pharmaceuticalsandchemic...

Marquee at AP ? Yeah right. AP could down tools for a year and nothing would happen. Oh wait a minute . . . . .

If a hit's coming someone else will get it.

However, this one does:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/29/britain-sunday-business-idUSL5...

the figure of 3000 job cuts is from a story in 2007
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=ayLeoIDr0N8w&refe...

the current Bloomberg report doesn't mention numbers

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-29/drugmaker-astrazeneca-set-to-ex...

Bloomberg:
ASTRAZENECA POISED TO AXE 3,000 JOBS IN COST CUTTING

AstraZeneca is set to announce an extension to its cost-cutting programme alongside results on Thursday, with analysts estimating that another 3,000 jobs could go.

yep - it's all with the virtuals/biotechs/spin-outs

too many passengers with zero idea how to do basic research

Tents - bad shit. Merger - doubtful; reductions/closures - likely

If its a marquee then its bad news I'm afraid.

The marquee has arrived at AP tonight. Looks like a merger

They are too busy working to undermine other sites to save their own butts.

Any of the 'untouchables' at AP got anything to add to this thread?

If only... I somehow doubt it.

I heard that a marquee is going up at AP. Figures of 30% headcount decrease are being discussed

Well, announcement 2/3/10 cost many people their jobs. How big does it have to be?

It this practice makes perfect? The announcement 2/3/10 was supposed to be THE big announcement. Your'e starting to look a bit silly now.

Big announcement 2/2/12

It's brilliant. Constantly inventing new science functions for managers who need a promotion and have nowhere to go. Meanwhile creating an ever more complex and dysfunctional science structure that distracts from the core research of drug discovery.

More shuffling

Dr. Briggs Morrison to join AstraZeneca R&D; Dr. Anders Ekblom to lead new Science and Technology function

Exactly - essentially being asset stripped from within to keep the share dividend up and the share price stable (more or less as stated in the last results statement).
No news on them managing to raise a few dollars by flogging the Charnwood site though...
Good news for Loughborough bulldozer operators!

AZ has become increasingly profitable (i.e. sales minus operating costs) as it has reduced it costs through site closures, redundancy programmes etc. It has also had a share buy back plan running for several years into which billions of dollars have been poured and it's sold assets such as AstraTech. This keeps the shares attractive in terms of dividend etc.

However, as sales decrease and there's less fat to cut or assets to sell off, things could get ugly very quickly. Basically, the company is consuming itself like an anorexic patient. It's slashed it's product engine (R&D) and it's investments in 'external research' are failing rapidly. The prognosis is not good.

So why is the share price going up so much - having lost some late stage projects and increased competition for crestor I reckon the price should have gone down - who's buying and why.
Or is it just end of quarter balancing of porfolio's?

In today's Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/8983422/AstraZeneca-staff-find-n...

Has Astrazeneca made a statement about the future of the site yet?

That will be office complex where senior executives plan the research closures.

Have you seen the palace they have built in Paddington?? How can a company fail to find drugs in a building like this!! They will be rolling off the production line there in no time - you guys are just soooo negative.

Edifice complex - C Northcote Parkinson. A genius of his time - just a pity we haven't learnt!!

http://www.pharmatimes.com/Article/11-11-11/NICE_rejects_AstraZeneca_s_F...

More bad luck

There is a criminal waste of 50m pounds of expenditure on a new facility which still has the wrapping paper on it to justify. But we know what the B in cbjones stands for don't we children?

Au contraire, when you have nothing to sell you need a really good marketing guy!

No point in having a marketing guy when you've got nothing to market.

Brennan has himself desribed them as a 'marketing and development' company. Marketing needs guys like Brennan and development needs a fortune teller in charge, no room for scientists.

Scientist in charge? All the scientists have buggered off or been given the boot. The only people AZ are interested in employing are shit managers and that's exactly why they're in the mess they're now in and going down the shute really fast. They sealed their own destiny years back. Ashes to ashes...

Why would AstraZeneca need a scientist in charge? Everyone would think it's a research based enterpise.

Maybe get rid of Brennan and let a scientist have a go at running the show. Can't be any worse.

So which site is going to take the hit for this most recent failure? Must've seen it coming so guess preparations may already be going on in the background.

Ooops, another failure.
I recalll an editorial a few years ago which suggested that if AstraZeneca didn't have bad luck it wouldn't have any luck at all. But in this business you make your own luck by virtue of good decision making; and Brennan is just a very unlucky sort of guy.

Think this is all a bit academic now. When Brennan did his town hall meeting last year he said the Targacept and Rigel projects had to succeed or the company was f**ked. Well, one down, one to go...

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/UPDATE-5-AstraZeneca-targetukfocus-1237...

Great that we're now relying on such fantastic external projects for our future.

Come on - who's going to buy a decomissioned site with less than attractive business rates?
It's over, move on. I worked there, went through the stress and following fall-out of March 2 and will be as sad as everyone else to see it go the way it seems to be. But it is inevitable.
There's a life out there: may not be exactly an AZ life (which is not a bad thing), but it's definitely out there.
Don't waste your time waiting for what might be - chase what is.

Ditto to last post. I'm in the area and i hope the Charnwood site is resurrected and I am called back on site. Not everyone can move out of the area due to commitments, lets hope PD comes alive soon!

Was always the best option to take the money and slip away. New iMED in Sweden has a limited lifespan unless there is a respiratory blockbuster in the existing portfolio ready to replace Symbicort, moving to AP was a poor move given the past rivalry. Always be an outsider, and how long until big cuts happen there anyway?
But, if someone wants to fund a new and exciting venture in the old brickwork there were plenty of people with local families who couldn't move on to simialr jobs and they'll be hoping to be asked back.

They've been round to kick the tyres before and nothing came of it then. Now that the place is practically mothballed it's unlikely that anything will happen this time either.

I was more than happy to take the £'s and I have stayed in Loughborough to do something else more fun (and not a lean sigma black belt to be seen!)

Someone still on site confirmed the Chinese did look round again on Wednesday. I think the time has passed though. It's a shame but that's business. It's also a shame that so many comments in this thread seem to be so resentful about what's happened. Take the money and move on. AZ have been very generous in the vast majority of cases. I was not a manager at Charnwood - just rank and file for 20 years.