The number of advertised biotech and pharma sector jobs remained stable through the fourth quarter of 2012, compared with the previous quarter (Nat. Biotechnol. 30, 1149, 2012). There was a noticeable increase in LinkedIn's total job listings for the top 25 biotech companies (568 up from 351) and top 10 pharma companies (586 up from 468), whereas the other databases we track returned similar totals from the third quarter (Tables 1 and 2).

Table 1 Who's hiring? Advertised openings at the 25 largest biotech companies
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Table 2 Advertised job openings at the ten largest pharma companies
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Notable operations expansions during the quarter include Novo Nordisk's announcement of a $100-million facility to be built in Beijing. The new R&D center will be located in the Zhongguancun Life Science Park. The new facility will employ 130–200 people. WuXi AppTec opened a biologics manufacturing plant in Wuxi, China, said to be the first cGMP facility in China. WuXi had earlier formed a 50/50 joint venture with AstraZeneca's MedImmune unit to develop and commercialize MedImmune's MEDI5117 in China for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The monoclonal antibody (mAb) against interleukin (IL)-6 is in phase 1 testing in the US and Europe. Finally, Novartis announced it will build a $500-million facility in Singapore to support clinical and commercial production of biologics, including mAbs for cancer, autoimmune and respiratory indications. Construction will begin this quarter, with completion slated for the end of 2016.

Sanofi announced it will restructure its French operations, which it said could lead to the loss of about 900 positions by 2015. Under the restructuring, the company's Montpellier site will become a strategic center focused on development, whereas its Vitry/Alfortville and Chilly-Mazarin/Longjumeau sites will increase research activities. The plan also includes a new global center of excellence for infectious diseases in Lyon. And in 2014 Merck & Co. will relocate its global headquarters to Summit, New Jersey, as part of the company's ongoing program to consolidate its real estate footprint and lower operating costs after its 2009 merger with Schering-Plough. The approximately 2,000 employees at the current Whitehouse Station headquarters will move to either the Summit facility or other nearby facilities.

Other notable fourth-quarter downsizings within the life sciences industry are shown in Table 3.

Table 3 Selected biotech and pharma downsizings
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