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Este informe no está disponible en español. CARIBBEAN BUSINESS Schering-Plough Manati To Lay Off 109 Employees In MayBaxter & Cardinal Health Could Become Contract Manufacturers For Outsourced Products By MARIALBA MARTINEZ April 24, 2003 After obtaining U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval, Schering-Plough Products LLC (SP) in Manati announced it would lay off 109 employees by May 15, when it phases out its sterile manufacturing operations at the pharmaceutical production facility. Employees were notified of the decision in October, but the company needed FDA approval because several of the pharmaceutical drugs were considered medically necessary (meaning there were no other pharmaceutical company suppliers of the drugs). A statement from SP headquarters indicates the company will outsource sterile production to third-party contract manufacturers. While a company spokesman didn’t comment on whether these contracts would remain in Puerto Rico, industry sources said at least two local companies, Baxter and Cardinal Health, were being considered. Among the sterile products manufactured by SP Manati are Celestone Soluspan Injection, Optimium Ophthalmic Ointment, Integrilin I.V. Injection, Sterile Water for Injection Diluent, and Hyperstat I.V. SP produces sterile water in large volumes for its Hepatitis C treatment Intron A as well as for other companies such as Amgen and Serono. SP Manati also manufactures the active ingredients for nonsterile products such as Nasonex, Diprolene, and Elocon. With the outsourcing of sterile operations, new products could be assigned or transferred to what is considered one of SP’s largest manufacturing facilities, with more than 1,000 employees. A second SP plant in Las Piedras produces K-Dur, Clarinex, Rebetol, and the new cholesterol-lowering drug Zetia. This Caribbean Business article appears courtesy of Casiano Communications.
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