The Bristol-Myers Squibb Company will close its Wallingford site in early 2018, according to a statement from the company.
The company said it is building a research site in Cambridge, Massachusetts and will relocate up to 200 employees from Wallingford and Waltham, Massachusetts sites, as well as a limited number from its central New Jersey locations.
Up to 500 employees will also be relocating to a new location in Connecticut, according to the news release.
The Wallingford facility has been dedicated to drug discovery and drug development activities within the Research and Development. It included applied biotechnology, applied genomics, chemistry, clinical research, metabolism & pharmacokinetics, neuroscience and virology departments.
"I am deeply troubled by today’s announcement and what it means for the hundreds of Bristol-Myers Squibb employees in Wallingford. This facility’s closure will devastate these workers' lives and those of their families, while hurting the Town of Wallingford. I stand ready to help the affected workers and urge those in need of assistance to contact my office," U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro said in a statement.
In the announcement, the company also said it plans to discontinue “discovery research efforts in virology,” but this does not impact the “company’s promising ongoing clinical development program in virology, nor does it impact the company’s marketed products in virology.”
“In addition to investments in central New Jersey, our new location in Cambridge and our expanding presence in the San Francisco Bay area positions the company and our scientists in the heart of vibrant ecosystems of world class science, innovation and business opportunities, which offer ideal environments for fostering external collaboration,” Francis Cuss, executive vice president and chief scientific officer for Bristol-Myers Squibb, said in a statement. “Ultimately, our goal is to continue to accelerate the translation of scientific knowledge and insights into the next wave of potentially transformational medicines for patients with serious diseases.”
