Cajita feliz: actualización

C is for contraction. C is also for convulsion. Both describe what pharma is experiencing these days. The trend was under way a few years ago, of course, when Merck began eliminating thousands of jobs. But since early last year, the bloodletting has been particularly severe.


Of course, C is for collateral damage, too. This list doesn’t count all the layoffs among supporting firms, vendors and consultants. As one reader reminded us - imagine the layoffs at companies that provide pens, coffee cups, clocks, notepads, baseball caps, tote bags, and backpacks to docs. To quote that loyal reader: “This is not your father’s pharma industry, and never will be again.”

1. Pfizer - 10,000 jobs
2. AstraZeneca - 9,000 jobs
3. Merck - 8,400 jobs
4. Bayer - 6,100 jobs
5. Schering-Plough - 5,500 jobs
6. Johnson & Johnson, 5,475 jobs
7. Wyeth - 5,000 jobs
8. Bristol-Myers Squibb - 4,300 jobs
9. Novartis - 4,300 jobs
10. Glaxo - 3,710 jobs
11. Amgen - 2,600 jobs
12. UCB - 2,000 jobs
13. Sanofi-Aventis - 1,980 jobs
14. Eli Lilly - 1,310 jobs
15. Reliant - 600 jobs
16. PDL BioPharma - 600 jobs
17. King - 520 jobs
18. Sepracor - 300 jobs
19. Ligand Pharmaceuticals - 267 jobs
20. West Pharmaceutical - 250 jobs
21. Nycomed - 250 jobs
22. Genentech - 240 jobs
23. Abbott Labs - 200 jobs
24. Bradley Pharmaceuticals - 196 jobs
25. Alkermes - 150 jobs
26. Encysive Pharmaceuticals - 150 jobs
27. CV Therapeutics - 143 jobs
28. Neurocrine Biosciences - 130 jobs
29. Nektar Therapeutics - 110 jobs
30. Mylan Labs - 100 jobs
31. WuXi PharmaTech - 100 jobs
32. NitroMed - 70 jobs
33. Acadia - 65 jobs