Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals has announced plans to end its “small molecule discovery functions” in Ridgefield and lay off 180 employees in Connecticut.
Boehringer Ingelheim spokesman Erin Crew confirmed the company plans to cut 120 employees in small molecule Discovery Research and 60 other functions in Connecticut.
“Following a careful examination of our human pharmaceuticals business, we made the difficult decision to reduce approximately 244 additional headcount nationwide since July 1. This includes approximately 120 in small molecule Discovery Research and 60 in other functions located in Connecticut. We have also reduced the size of our sales force by an additional approximately 64 headcount nationwide,” the company said in a statement.
The layoffs are part of a larger restructuring plan the German company has been working on since July. In the statement the company said it plans to increase investments in oncology with a focus on cancer immunology, and that it intends to form a new group beginning in 2017 that will result in 35 new jobs in Connecticut.
“We are sympathetic to the impact this decision will have on Boehringer Ingelheim employees and their families. We are committed to treating all employees with dignity, respect and sensitivity. We will support affected employees in a number of ways, including severance, outplacement services, and identifying other employment opportunities within the Boehringer Ingelheim network, as appropriate,” the statement read.
A notice on the state Department of Labor website says the layoffs in Ridgefield will happen between Feb. 1 and Aug. 1.
In 2015, the company laid off Connecticut workers in reaction to a sales decline and other issues.
