Dive Brief:
- Boehringer Ingelheim plans to restructure its operations in France, potentially leading to the elimination of 327 jobs in the country, where the German drugmaker currently employs about 2,800 staff.
- At the same time, the company confirmed to BioPharma Dive it anticipates creating 32 new positions and modifying 180 employment contracts, mostly due to employee transfers to other regions.
- The move appears an after-effect of Boehringer's integration of the Merial animal health business, brought on board in an asset swap with Sanofi two years ago. Boehringer said it aims to consolidate animal health positions to its global headquarters in Germany, according to a Dec. 10 statement from the company.
Dive Insight:
Boehringer says it's tackling "major challenges" stemming from its acquisition of French drugmaker Sanofi's animal health business Merial. That asset swap, in which Boehringer sent Sanofi its consumer health division, gave the German company 2,300 of its current employees in France.
On the human health side, Boehringer said it's focusing on positioning in specialty care, speeding up digital transformation and consolidating group support functions in Lyon as part of the restructuring. The drugmaker claimed the job cuts will help it "remain competitive in an increasingly constrained environment."
"These evolutions of our organisation must enable us to create the conditions for a sustainable development in France, which is a strategic market and country for the activities and investments of the Boehringer Ingelheim Group," said Jean Scheftsik de Szolnok, president of Boehringer Ingelheim France, in a statement.
Boehringer has invested elsewhere, particularly in biologics. In June, the company announced plans to spend £230 million pounds, or nearly $270 million, on a new facility focused on the large-molecule drugs. In this week's release, the drugmaker touted a 335 million euro ($380 million) investment in Lyon, which includes a new France animal health headquarters and global R&D center.