MedImmune to Close Facility, Cut 200 Jobs

The odds are good that most of you reading this have not heard of MedImmune, unless that is you spend a lot of time working or reading about the field of biotechnology that is. For those of you who do not here is a look at how the company chooses to describe itself , “In the world of biologics, MedImmune has established itself as a true visionary, with one of the most robust pipelines in the biopharmaceutical industry. From groundbreaking research and development, to state-of-the-art manufacturing, to product commercialization, every day we’re touching lives. We’re proudly united by the spirit of innovation, the heart of inspiration, and the strength of integration, as we advance science for better health.”

Well it looks like the company is getting ready to put 200 of its workers out of a job in order to make its bottom line better. The company put out a statement about the cuts outlining the location and timeline of the changes to their staffing. In that statement the company said the following, “MedImmune, the global biologics arm of AstraZeneca PLC, announced that it is restructuring its infectious disease and vaccines research, development and operations.  This will result in the closure of MedImmune’s Mountain View, CA and Santa Clara, CA sites, and consolidation of its infectious disease and vaccines research and development activities to other existing sites.  The changes are expected to be completed in 2014 to allow for a seamless transition of ongoing activities.”

That means that these cuts are likely to be at least one mass layoff action, even if they are undertaken in stages. As a matter of fact it could mean multiple mass layoff actions are coming for the state. For those of you who are not familiar with the idea of a mass layoff action here is a look at how the federal government defines the term, “The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program collects reports on mass layoff actions that result in workers being separated from their jobs. Monthly mass layoff numbers are from establishments which have at least 50 initial claims for unemployment insurance (UI) filed against them during a 5-week period. Extended mass layoff numbers (issued quarterly) are from a subset of such establishments—where private sector nonfarm employers indicate that 50 or more workers were separated from their jobs for at least 31 days.”

The company also mentioned, in the same release that more then just those workers who are being laid off will be impacted by the site closures and another 100 workers can expect changes, “The company estimates that approximately 300 positions will be impacted.  Of those, approximately 100 positions will move to other MedImmune locations, including its Hayward, CA site.   The changes will not disrupt the delivery of our vaccine supply. In February 2012, AstraZeneca announced an efficiency program to improve productivity, foster innovation and strengthen the company’s commercial, operations and R&D capabilities, which runs through 2014.  These actions are part of MedImmune’s commitment to delivering that program.  MedImmune continues to advance its pipeline with 120 biologics in research and development”