Sanofi announces layoffs, closure of Bridgewater RD site

Pharmaceutical company Sanofi announced Wednesday it will close a Bridgewater facility as part of a restructuring of its research and development operations that will result in an unspecified amount of layoffs throughout the company.

Pharmaceutical company Sanofi announced Wednesday it will close a Bridgewater facility as part of a restructuring of its research and development operations that will result in an unspecified amount of layoffs throughout the company.

The company, which also has its North American headquarters in Bridgewater, will send its discovery and early development operations to Boston, where an R&D hub will be established to capitalize on the company’s acquisition of Genzyme.

Sanofi announced Wednesday the company is creating a new development center in Bridgewater where clinical development and regulatory affairs will be relocated from the Route 202-206 facility, which is anticipated to close in the fourth quarter of 2012.

According to a statement from the company, Sanofi is “still evaluating how many jobs will move to other facilities, so it’s too early to specify how many positions will be impacted.”

Also announced Wednesday were layoffs in Sanofi’s pharmaceutical sales division, specifically in teams that support cardiovascular and oncology products. The company attributes the layoffs in part to the Genzyme acquisition.

Sanofi says it will offer a voluntary separation program for eligible sales employees, and may place some employees in vacant positions in other areas of the company.