Pharmaceutical Jobs

Ohio Bioscience Industry Workforce Preparedness Project is news for offering training to 660 displaced or underemployed workers in declining industries to become better equipped for careers in Ohio’s growing bioscience industry.

It was earlier this year when BioOhio, a non-profit organisation supported by the Thomas Edison Program of the Ohio Department of Development, and its partners were awarded $5,000,000 by the U.S. Department of Labor to implement a jobs training programme to help meet the needs of Ohio’s growing bioscience industry.

BioOhio has bee chosen to lead and coordinate the three-year programme designed to help Ohio’s displaced or underemployed workers from declining industries find new career opportunities.

Partners in the statewide project consortium include Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Columbus State Community College, Cuyahoga Community College, Lakeland Community College, Owens Community College, and Sinclair Community College, with strong support from the Ohio Board of Regents. More than half of the funding, $2,812,500, will be designated for tuition reimbursement and trainee scholarships.

Project activity will focus on four regions in Ohio, which include five mixed urban/suburban metropolitan areas: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Toledo. In each region, consortium colleges will serve as the regional project leaders, heading up a team of employers, workforce agencies, labor groups, and community partners.

There is good news as far as biotech jobs are concerned.

At least 11 biomedical employers have formally committed to partnering on the project.

• NE Ohio: Ben Venue Laboratories, STERIS, Affymetrix
• Central Ohio: Roxane, PharmaForce, International Specialty Products
• Southwest Ohio: Amylin, Alkermes, Eurand, IMDS
• Northwest Ohio: NAMSA.

These employers will play a critical role in helping develop more completely articulated industry career pathways and ensuring that the knowledge and skills needed to perform successfully in their industry are adequately addressed. They also have pledged to consider qualified applicants who complete project training programmes for openings in their organisations

Basel, Switzerland-based Roche has confirmed the launch of a group-wide Operational Excellence initiative.

The Operational Excellence initiative is scheduled for implementation during 2011 and 2012.

The company says in view of mounting pressures to curb healthcare costs – especially in the US and Europe – together with recent developments in late-stage projects in the Roche pipeline, “this initiative aims to adapt cost structures and accelerate productivity improvements group-wide”.

With tightening healthcare budgets, Roche expects that payers will increasingly allocate resources to treatments and diagnostic tools providing the highest medical value for patients.

“Therefore, Operational Excellence is not simply a cost-reduction effort but is above all about pro-actively setting the right priorities to ensure a successful future,” stated the company.  

Over the months ahead, all parts of the organisation will review and analyse their respective structures and processes.

Detailed decisions on the measures that will be taken and the potential impact on staffing levels will be announced before the end of the year.

Severin Schwan, CEO of Roche, said: “We have launched this initiative from a position of strength. By contrast with many of our competitors, we are only marginally affected by patent expiries.”

Schwan added, “Furthermore, despite the recent setbacks, we have one of the strongest R&D product pipelines in the industry. We will focus our resources towards investments that will drive innovation and ensure the company’s long-term success, while at the same time protecting our profitability so as to safeguard our financial flexibility.”

Roche also confirmed its full-year outlook for 2010.

The company has been in news axing pharmaceutical jobs. The group did not provide any details on the size of cost reductions or the number of staff and units affected.

Swiss newspaper Sonntag recently reported that the group could slash thousands of jobs across drug sales, research and development, production and the pharma division’s administration.

Pacific Plastics & Engineering (PPE) has reportedly added another sterile cleanroom to assemble medical devices used in minimally invasive surgery known as laparoscopy.

The company’s move has resulted in new medical device jobs. According to a report filed by mercurynews.com, Pacific Plastics & Engineering has grown to 92 employees, including six new hires working in design engineering, tooling, assembly and quality assurance.

The company, according to plasticstoday.com, has added another stand-alone 1000-ft2 Class (7) 10,000 cleanroom within the facility’s existing footprint. The new cleanroom contains automated lines for assembly and secondary operations including pad printing, assembly, and heatstaking. This expands the company’s production line to include two Class (7) 10,000 cleanrooms, the first containing six presses, and five Class (8) 100,000 soft-walled cleanrooms. Both of the Class (7) cleanrooms represent the only hard-walled cleanrooms in the Northern California area, notes the company.

Under start-up incubation services, PPE delivers a diverse array of services for utilitarian, affordable design, development, manufacturing and pre-clinical testing of innovative medical products.

The company also supports in medical device design, engineering, materials selection, production, and tooling solutions. The company creates 3D models that are ready for funding proposal presentations and early stage testing. Prototyping and quality are essential during the design and development phases. When 3D models and computer simulations do not provide optimum data, the designers and engineers at PPE produce a tangible, testable prototype.

Medical devices produced are used for:

• Cancer testing
• DNA assay testing
• In-vitro applications
• Anthrax detection
• Pacemakers
• Spinal ablation
• Orthoscopic procedures

CleveX has been awarded $637,500 from the Innovation Ohio Loan Fund. The loan will be used for development and acquisition of tooling, molds, and machinery and equipment.

This project will allow the company to develop the new ExiClip-L, increase production capacity, improve quality, and lower production.

The development will result in new medical device jobs. This $850,000 project is expected to create 10 jobs and assist in retaining three positions.

The development emerged as Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and Director of the Ohio Department of Development Lisa Patt-McDaniel confirmed that loans valued at more than $41.5 million have been recommended by the Development Financing Advisory Council. The loans support six economic development projects that are expected to leverage more than $59.6 million in capital investment. CleveX’s project is one among the ones that Development Financing Advisory Council has approved for financing for additional expansion projects.

The Development Financing Advisory Council approves all low-interest, long-term, fixed-asset loans for companies considering expanding in or relocating to Ohio.

CleveX is a medical device company, founded in 2003 in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic, which specialises in the development of innovative skin biopsy, closure and repair solutions for use in primary care, family, OB/GYN and dermatology physician practices.

The company’s flagship product, ExiClip, is a disposable single-step skin lesion removal and sutureless closure device. ExiClip is a sutureless and bloodless skin biopsy procedure that Reduces procedure time to less than 10 minutes vs. 20 to 30 minutes, according to the company. It saves procedure time and improves physician office workflow and workload, reducing a 20-30 minute procedure to 10 minutes or less. The closure optimises cosmetic patient outcomes – virtual elimination of scar tissue.

A new campus for biotech and pharmaceutical companies on Manhattan’s East Side is scheduled to open this month.

According to a report filed by WNYC.org, the Alexandria Centre for Science and Technology at East River Science Park is expected to turn New York into a biotech research hub. Its first tenant, Eli Lilly’s cancer treatment division ImClone, will relocate from Manhattan’s Hudson Square neighborhood, just across town, added the publication.

As far as the strength of the location is concerned, it has been stated that Alexandria is developing an integrative and collaborative first-in-class, life science and technology campus in an ideal location, proximate to innovative research and development, technology and finance.

The development is also expected to result into new biotech jobs. As per the information available, when the tower is fully occupied, it will house 500 jobs new to New York City.

Archimedes Pharma has confirmed the location of its new US headquarters in Bedminster, New Jersey.

The opening of the company’s US office marks the continued expansion of the company’s global commercial presence.

Archimedes Pharma, an emerging specialty pharma company focused on oncology, pain, neurology and critical care sectors, has offices in a number of European countries and markets a range of therapeutics in Europe. It currently markets multiple therapeutics in the UK, France, Germany and Ireland. The company is expanding its commercial presence in Spain and the US.

The company stated that the New Jersey location will provide Archimedes Pharma access to the deep resource pool of New Jersey-based specialty pharma professionals.

The company’s lead product, PecFent, a fentanyl nasal spray for the treatment of breakthrough cancer pain, received a Positive Opinion from the Committee for Human Medicinal Products (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in June this year.

A New Drug Application (NDA) for the drug was submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in August 2009; discussions with the FDA are ongoing.

PecFent is an aqueous fentanyl citrate solution utilising Archimedes Pharma’s proprietary PecSys technology. The PecFent solution has a low viscosity and is delivered in a low volume of 100mcl using a nasal spray pump.

The PecSys technology, according to the company, avoids problems associated with simple solutions used in nasal sprays, such as dripping or swallowing of the drug solution.

New Jobs

The move will pave for new pharmaceutical jobs. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority awarded a Business Employment Incentive Programme (BEIP) grant for Archimedes Pharma US to create up to 75 new jobs.

The company will add a significant number of positions this year, including sales & marketing, regulatory, finance, human resources and medical affairs.

“With Archimedes Pharma’s rapidly growing and diverse drug delivery technologies and products portfolio, we are in the process of establishing our own US organisation and are actively recruiting top-tier senior-level management positions to support market penetration across the USA and globally. The BEIP grant awarded to us by the state was the deciding factor when choosing a US location,” said Jeffrey H. Buchalter, president and CEO of Archimedes Pharma.

New figures which detail the rates at which male and female salaries are increasing show that UK businesses are still more than five decades away from paying men and women equally, according to a report published by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and XpertHR.

The 2010 National Management Salary Survey shows that female salaries increased by 2.8% over the last 12 months, compared to 2.3% for men.

However, with the average UK salary for a male manager currently £10,071 more than that of a female manager, women face a 57 year wait before their take-home pay is equal to that of their male colleagues. Although this year marks the 40th anniversary of the 1970 Equal Pay Act, data collected from 43,312 individuals in 197 organisations reveals that male pay outstrips female pay by as much as 24% at senior level.

Even at junior level the gap still persists with male junior executives receiving £1,065 more than female executives. Across the regions, women in the Midlands fare the worst, taking home £10,434 less while those in the North East fare the best, where the gap is smallest at £8,955.

Do women need to be wary of taking up pharmaceutical jobs?

As per the study, looking at different industry sectors, female executives would do well to bear in mind when accepting roles in either IT or the pharmaceutical industry that the pay gaps here are higher than any other sectors, at £17,736 and £14,018 respectively, stated the CMI.

As well as stark differences in pay, the research also reveals a contrast between male and female labour turnover rates, particularly with regard to redundancy.

Over the last 12 months, 4.5% of the female workforce experienced redundancy, compared to just 3% of men. The difficult economic circumstances combined with unsatisfactory remuneration may have contributed to a dramatic increase in resignations, particularly at director level where 7.7% of female directors voluntarily left their posts in the last year, compared to just 3.6 %of men. Female resignations at director level are up from 5.3% the previous year.

Massachusetts has seen a rise in biotech jobs not just in research and development, but also in manufacturing.

The state says it has improved its position “as a nation-leading biotechnology cluster”.

“Despite the difficult economy, we continue to be the top choice for biotech and pharmaceutical companies looking to discover the latest cures and therapies, and the top choice for the people who invest in those companies,” said Robert K. Coughlin, president and CEO of MassBio.

According to MassBio’s latest data, Massachusetts was one of just four states which added biotechnology manufacturing jobs in the last decade. Overall, Massachusetts has improved its position within the physical sciences, as defined by industry concentration, by 100%.

Venture capital figures have also held steady, with the first two quarters of investment in 2010 reaching an historic high.

These statistics, showcased in the MassBio Industry Snapshot, are compiled annually by MassBio from sources including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages and others.

Additional highlights include:

• Massachusetts biopharma industry employment reached an all-time high in 2009, continuing the industry’s six year pattern of growth, and now accounts for $4.2 billion in payroll.
• Between 2005 and 2009, Massachusetts biotech jobs grew 19.7% compared with 5% job growth for all jobs in the state.
• R&D employment in Massachusetts grew at a greater rate than in any competitors states during the past two years.
• Massachusetts received 26% of all U.S. biotech venture capital investment in Q1 and Q2 2010.
• Companies headquartered in Massachusetts have commercialised 141 products that treat 90 different medical conditions. Together, these conditions have U.S. patient populations totaling over 160 million people.

Pfizer has confirmed its plans of cutting more pharmaceutical jobs at its Pearl River plant.

In all, the company is going to lay off 115 workers. The workers in the facility’s pharmaceutical products division will lose their jobs Dec. 17, according to a notice filed with the state Labor Department, reported recordonline.com.

As per the information available, Pfizer has already announced 601 layoffs at the site.

The company also reportedly shared that some of the layoffs announced this week were part of the 601 previously announced, but he wouldn’t say how many.

This year the company has shared that it plans to exit operations in Shanbally, Ireland, as well as biotechnology manufacturing in Pearl River, N.Y., in the United States.

Plants in Sanford, N.C., and Andover, Mass., in the US and Havant, in the United Kingdom, also expect to see reductions.

Plant Network Strategy

In May this year, Pfizer Global Manufacturing shared its plans to reconfigure its worldwide plant network to create a fully aligned manufacturing and supply organisation from the combined networks of Pfizer and Wyeth. This implementation of the first phase of Pfizer’s previously announced Plant Network Strategy includes recommendations to cease operations at eight manufacturing sites in Ireland, Puerto Rico, and the United States by the end of 2015, as well as to reduce operations at six other plants in Germany, Ireland, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, and the US.

According to Pfizer, the planned reductions will increase manufacturing efficiency and lower costs by more effectively using resources and technology, improving plant processes, eliminating excess capacity, and better aligning production with market demand. These changes will result in a global reduction of approximately 6,000 jobs over the next several years.

That time, the company also shared that Pfizer plans to cease production of consumer healthcare products at its plants in Richmond, Va., and Pearl River in the United States. The Pearl River site will remain Pfizer’s Center of Excellence for Vaccine Research and Development. Consumer Healthcare R&D also will continue in Richmond.

In both Pearl River and in Richmond, R&D jobs will be unaffected by the planned manufacturing exits.

The timing of specific exits will depend upon the complexity of operations, the amount of time required for product transfers, and other business requirements.

Executive search firm ZRG Partners has indicated that medical device employers are the top source for jobs in the global life sciences marketplace.

The company, which has developed a new measurement that tracks life-sciences positions most in demand by job seekers and by which industries, said it sees a trend of more jobs offered by those companies among its New Jersey clients as drug manufacturing declines in New Jersey.

According to a report filed by northjersey.com, the company developed its global hiring index by studying 12,000 jobs posted on the websites of 30 international companies in three industries: drug manufacturers, medical device makers and drug developers outsourced by pharmaceutical companies. Jobs covered by ZRG’s research include positions in research and development, manufacturing, administrative, sales/marketing and regulatory, clinical and quality control.

It has been indicated that posted 46% of the total medical device jobs were offered worldwide, the largest amount in the three industries studied, according to ZRG. And in North America, the companies studied in the index advertised 22% more jobs than pharmaceutical makers between January and June.

Trend

The initial ZRG Life Science Hiring index for Q2 2010 indicates a global hiring level in the sector of 66.77, a baseline number that will have greater relevance in future releases over time.

Regulatory, Quality and Clinical roles were the most in demand hiring roles globally in the Q2 Index with 27.2% of all opportunities in this functional bucket. It appears there is a fight for talent breaking out, with 63% of the opportunities in Regulatory, Quality and Clinical coming from the Outsourcing and Service Sector, signaling an interesting shift of function demand globally for professionals in this area. Medical Device and Supply firms are seeking sales and marketing talent as the top need. For Life Sciences / Pharma, the top area for hiring is in the area General including Accounting, Finance and IT. For all regions, Manufacturing is the lowest functional need.

On a relative size of employee pool basis, Outsourcing and Services has 500% more current hiring then Life Science and Pharma and close to 250% more than Medical Device and Supply. Medical Device firms currently exceed Pharma / Life Science companies as well as Outsourcing in total hiring requirements globally. However, on a size of revenue and employee basis, the Outsourcing and Services segment is showing strong hiring demand in term of current organizational size to new requests, showing the biggest projected growth.