Pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma recently announced plans to lay off 59 workers at its Stamford headquarters, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification it filed with the Connecticut Department of Labor. The layoffs will eliminate a third of its research and development positions.
The 59 job cuts at the headquarters, which employs about 600 employees, are part of the 100 positions that will be eliminated across the company, according to Newstimes.com.
“Purdue is evolving from an organization that historically innovated from within, toward an organization that looks beyond its walls for new business opportunities,” said James Heins, the company’s senior director of public affairs.
Purdue Pharma, which specializes in marketing prescription drugs such as OxyContin, a painkiller, will now focus on a acquiring or licensing medicines developed elsewhere, according to the Wall Street Journal. Purdue’s R&D facility in Cranbury, N.J., will remain open.
Earlier this year, Purdue laid off 60 employees at its Stamford location. The company appointed a new president and CEO, Mark Timney, in January.
