AstraZeneca announces proposal to close Brixham Environmental Laboratory
Posted: 24 October 2013 | | No comments yet
The proposal to close the site has been made as the work undertaken at the laboratory is outside the organisation’s strategic focus…
AstraZeneca today announced proposals to close its Environmental Laboratory in Brixham, Devon, UK. The laboratory, which directly employs 71 staff, provides specialist services to assess the impact of pharmaceuticals and chemicals used by a range of industries on the environment.
The proposal to close the site has been made as the work undertaken at the laboratory is outside the organisation’s strategic focus of developing innovative new medicines. Under the proposals, the services currently provided on the site will be sourced from third parties. AstraZeneca remains fully committed to sustaining the highest environmental standards.
Tony Broughton, Head of UK Operations at AstraZeneca said: “We realise that this is difficult news for our employees at Brixham and our priority is to support them over the coming months. We also acknowledge the excellent work carried out by our people at the laboratory over its history. However, operating an environmental laboratory for the benefit of AstraZeneca and customers across a range of industries is not a core part of our strategy, therefore after serious consideration we propose to close the site. We are exploring a range of options for the future of the site and, if possible, would like to see the laboratory remain in use for scientific purposes.”
Subject to consultation and planning for a responsible closure, AstraZeneca anticipates business operations at the laboratory will cease by the end of March 2014.
