Drug maker Novartis said today it's planning to eliminate 2,000 jobs in Switzerland and the United States in response to falling drug prices.
The Swiss company did not specify how the cuts would affect its operations in North Carolina, where the company employs 960 people in Holly Springs, Wilson and Greensboro.
The pharmaceutical company blamed declining reimbursements from government employers for the cuts, which are expected to take place in the next five years. At the same time, Novartis plans to fill hundreds of positions in India and China.
For more details, see the Associated Press story here.
Novartis employs about 300 at its Holly Springs flu vaccine plant. The company makes generic medications in Wilson and animal health products in Greensboro.
John Murawski has been a full-time newspaper reporter since 1991, with stints at Legal Times and The Chronicle of Philanthropy (both in Washington, DC), The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Palm Beach Post (in South Florida) before arriving at the N&O in December 2004. At the N&O he covers energy (nuclear, coal, renewable, efficiency), hydralic fracturing (or "fracking"), public utilities (both electric and natural gas) and health care. His beat includes Progress Energy, PSNC Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas, PowerSecure International, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Biogen Idec and others. You can reach him at 919-829-8932 or