New Jersey loses 800 pharma jobs

Schering-Plough will cut a minimum of 500 jobs starting on August 11th in New Jersey as part of a much larger plan to layoff 5,500 employees across the globe. At the same time, Johnson & Johnson will send about the same number of employees packing when it cuts nearly 300 jobs nationwide and shifts 260 positions out of New Jersey.

The Schering-Plough layoffs will be mainly be at its Kenilworth facility, but will also affect facilities in Berkeley Heights, Roseland, Springfield, Summit and Union. The shifted J&J positions will move to Pennsylvania and will become part of the company's Centocor subsidiary following a merger of the unit with its Ortho-Biotech unit. 

Abbott Labs also announced it would move 83 positions in Parsippany to its research headquarters in Abbott Park, IL, also in August.  

- read the full story at Newsday
- get the local news at NJ.com 
- here's more at the Pharmalot blog