A New Haven, Connecticut pharmaceutical company has announced it plans to lay off more than 200 employees company-wide in the coming weeks.
A spokeswoman for Alexion Pharmaceuticals said that the 210 layoffs represent about 7 percent of Alexion's 3,000-person workforce.
Some of the employees affected will be in Connecticut, but the layoffs will not all be in New Haven. Alexion’s other facilities in the United States are in Smithfield, Rhode Island and Lexington, Massachusetts, as well as a global government affairs office in Washington, DC.
The company also has international operations across the globe.
“Alexion initiated a company-wide restructuring to help position the Company for sustainable, long-term growth that will allow us to fulfill our mission of serving patients and families with rare diseases,” Alexion said in a statement.
“The fundamentals of our business remain strong and Alexion has tremendous growth potential. We are investing our resources in key growth drivers, including our portfolio of marketed products, the potential launches of Soliris in refractory gMG, and our most promising R&D programs,” the company statement said.
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The biopharmaceutical company makes drugs to treat rare diseases. It's unclear where the layoffs are being made.
Alexion, which was founded in New Haven, announced in 2012 that it would relocate its global headquarters from Cheshire back to New Haven and it accepted incentives from the state as part of its First Five economic development program.
On Wednesday afternoon, House Republican Leader Themis Klarides called for a halt to the First Five in response to the Alexion layoffs and called for the state legislature's Finance Committee to have some oversight on agreements.
“The executive branch, of course, has to have the authority to engage in such transactions and the goal is obviously to keep and attract employers to Connecticut. But the legislative branch should be heard on these matters,’’ Klarides said in a statement.
Officials with the state Department of Economic and Community Development weren't immediately available for comment, according to the Associated Press.
