Boehringer Ingelheim is cutting 120 positions at its U.S. headquarters in Ridgefield as it closes its small molecule discovery function divisions there and in Milan, Italy. That research will now be undertaken in Boehringer Ingelheim facilities in Vienna and Biberach, Germany.
The company is also laying off 64 salespeople around the country. Since July 1, the international drugmaker, based in Ingelheim, Germany, has eliminated 244 positions in the U.S., with roughly 180 of those occurring in Ridgefield.
“The actions we are taking now will help us reinvent the way we serve the needs of our patients, and enable us to continue to identify new medical breakthroughs,” spokesperson Erin Crew said.
“The creation of a leaner global discovery research organization will allow for increased investments in oncology, with a focus on cancer immunology,” she added, saying that a new group focusing on cancer immunology discovery research will be formed in 2017, resulting in approximately 35 new positions in Connecticut.