Novartis could cut around 130 jobs in Switzerland as it rethinks its biologics technical development and production footprint in Basel.
Wednesday, Novartis said it plans to discontinue small-volume biologics production at its Kleinbasel site by the end of 2027. The decision could eliminate approximately 130 jobs, subject to proper process, the Swiss pharma said (German).
Simultaneously, labs for biological cell banks, analytical testing and technical development activities at the site will be transferred to the Novartis campus in Basel by the end of 2028. The company framed the move as part of its plan to establish a new biologics technical development center to complement an existing research center on the campus.
“These planned changes support our long-term strategy and further strengthen our Basel campus as a key location for research, development and innovation,” Steffen Lang, Ph.D., Novartis’ president of operations, said in a translated Sept. 2 statement.
The Novartis exec promised to treat affected employees with respect and transparency, saying the company will “provide them with comprehensive support throughout the consultation process and beyond.”
Novartis is shifting its operations as certain leases at the Kleinbasel site are set to expire in 2029. In response to a Fierce inquiry, the company said other clinical production activities at the facility are not part of Wednesday’s announcement.
As to the manufacturing component, Novartis told Fierce that the site’s production of biologics drug substance for smaller-scale batches will be transferred to other facilities within its network, “specifically in Europe.”
The Trump administration’s pharmaceutical tariffs and onshoring push have sparked fears in Europe that drugmakers will shift investments and manufacturing to the U.S.
The latest Kleinbasel reduction comes less than a year after Novartis telegraphed a plan to scrap the production and packaging of tablets and capsules at its Stein site in Switzerland by the end of 2027, a move that will reduce its head count by 550. Then in May, the company announced the closure of its production facility in Wehr, Germany, which will cost 220 jobs, by the end of 2028.
The layoff round in Stein became a key talking point among investors during Novartis’ annual general meeting in March 2026.
“We are very committed to continuing to invest in Switzerland,” Novartis Chairman Giovanni Caforio said during the meeting. “For us, it really is about the most advanced and sophisticated manufacturing.
“In Stein, we are going through a transition in which we plan on continuing to invest in sterile dosage forms manufacturing and, most importantly, in the next generation of cellular therapies,” Caforio, who was formerly CEO of Bristol Myer Squibb, explained. “This is very aligned with the strategy of the company.”
Meanwhile, Novartis has been busy restructuring its U.S. operations as well, with multiple layoff rounds tied to its U.S. headquarters in East Hanover, New Jersey, in recent months affecting hundreds of employees, mostly on the commercial side.