There's a lot of rumbling in the blogosphere about the Merck job-chopping block. Last fall [1] Merck announced it would shed 6,800 jobs--and now, the drugmaker is lowering the boom. Or so we're told.
Derek Lowe at In the Pipeline is hearing firsthand from Merck folks that an across-the-board cutback in R&D is going on as we speak. Research types at all R&D sites are getting pink slips.
And with Merck and Schering-Plough destined to merge later this year, the job cuts are due to step up a notch. If the current round is part of the previously announced restructuring plan, they're just a warm-up for an expected 16,000 or so additional cuts [2]. All told, Merck and Schering-Plough's workforce is expected to shrink by 15 percent.
- read the post [3] at In The Pipeline
Related Articles:
Merck, Schering to cut 16,000 post-merger [2]
Merck nabs Schering-Plough in $41.1B deal [4]
Merck - Top 5 layoffs of 2008 [1]
Schering-Plough - Top 5 layoffs of 2008 [5]
Links:
[1] http://www.fiercepharma.com/special-reports/merck-top-5-layoffs-2008
[2] http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/merck-schering-cut-16-000-post-merger/2009-03-10
[3] http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2009/03/27/layoffs_at_merck.php#comments
[4] http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/merck-nabs-schering-41-1b-deal/2009-03-09-0
[5] http://www.fiercepharma.com/special-reports/schering-plough-top-5-layoffs-2008