ON THE same day that AstraZeneca announced the loss of 700 jobs at its Macclesfield site, bosses publicly revealed plans for a new laboratory costing more than £61million.
The drugs giant will begin work on the Process Research and Development (PR&D) Laboratory at the Hurdsfield plant immediately, and hope to have it completed before the last of the 700 axed employees leaves their post.
Jobs will be phased out over the next three years, with the new lab due to start operations in mid 2009.
PR&D discovers and develops the manufacturing routes for active ingredients in potential new medicines.
The facility will house multi-disciplinary teams of scientists and specialists involved in chemistry, analytical, process engineering and project management.
The building will accommodate about 170 people, most already employed by the company, with room for a further 50 people within pre-planned expansion areas.
The PR&D facility represents AstraZeneca's largest single investment to date at Macclesfield.
Vice president of PR&D at Macclesfield, Bryan Mobbs, said: "This laboratory will play an important role in strengthening our pipeline of new potential treatments for serious medical disorders. Our goal is to increase the speed in which we can bring new medicines to market safely and cost-effectively. Process Research and Development makes a very important contribution in this area."
The laboratory will focus primarily on the company's emerging portfolio in Oncology and Infection, in addition to new potential treatments in the area of Neuroscience - linking with other major R&D facilities in Alderley Park, Boston and Wilmington.
The facility will have the capability to handle potential treatments from AstraZeneca's other therapeutic interests.
