MONTREAL - One of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, AstraZeneca, announced on Thursday that it will be shutting down its Saint-Laurent research centre, a decision that will lead to the loss of 132 jobs.
Shedding 17 per cent of its Canadian staff, the closure is part of the company's ongoing global reorganization to simplify research and reduce costs.
The Anglo-Swedish company, whose Canadian branch is headquartered in Mississauga, is looking to "maintain an important presence in Quebec and Canada." While promising to continue investing in research, AstraZeneca offered no details for future funding.
No word yet if the company's other Canadian jobs will be impacted.
Montreal's pharmaceutical sector has been hard hit over the past few months. Sanofi-Aventis sacked 10 employees in January at a Laval research facility, while Johnson & Johnson has announced plans to shutter its Montreal lab, firing 126 working.
Nearly 7,300 jobs were eliminated as part of AstraZeneca's decision, including a quarter of all its employees in the U.S.
With files from The Canadian Press.
