Major restructuring at Novartis announced

Pharmacists throughout the canton will have followed closely the news announced yesterday that Novartis is to acquire the cancer drug division from GlaxoSmithKline company for $16 billion while at the same time selling off its vaccines operation to the British company for $7 billion.
 
What effect will this restructuring have on Novartis employees in Switzerland? According to a report in the Neue Zuger Zeitung, as many as 1,500 employees of the total 15,000 company workforce could be affected though, as of yesterday, the pharmaceuticals giant declined to comment on whether the restructuring would lead to jobs being transferred elsewhere or redundancies.
 
More particularly, what about the 400 Novartis employees in Rotkreuz? It is here where the Alcon Schweiz (ophthalmology), Sandoz Schweiz (generic medicinal products), Pharma Schweiz and Consumer Health Schweiz divisions are, whereby the latter is most likely to be affected. One part is to be sold off and a further part transferred to joint ventures. As of Tuesday, a spokesman for the company said it was far too early to speculate on this matter.
 
The Swiss location most affected by the restructuring announced yesterday is Nyon in the French-speaking canton of Vaud, where some 900 Novartis employees work.