Bayer moves to refocus on its core pharma R&D, cutting 12,000 jobs

Bayer aims to comprehensively restructure its pharmaceutical R&D and consumer health operations, a long-awaited move that the company says will refocus assets to its core life science businesses over the coming years. Reports from the past year, including local German media that had suggested up to 1,000 jobs were on the chopping block, were not far off the mark: The final decision includes the loss of about 900 of its 8,000 R&D positions, out of a total reduction of 12,000 jobs across the company. That’s in addition to 350 employees connected to Bayer’s factor VIII facility in Wuppertal, Germany, which it is closing due to increasing competition in the hemophilia treatment market. Instead, the company will move all its recombinant factor VIII production to a facility in Berkeley, California.