Altana Pharma integration ‘at the heart of Nycomed challenges’

Nycomed has announced the programme for the integration of recent acquisition Altana Pharma into the firm. As part of this restructuring plan, Nycomed forecasts a ten per cent reduction in its workforce, equating to the redundancies of 1,250 employees.

In its restructuring plan, the firm has outlined four areas where change must be effected in order to recast the company following the purchase of Altana Pharma.

These include increasing efficiency at the integrated firm, with overlapping jobs lost and outsourcing increased, preparations for the expiration of the patent on Pantroprazole, redefining the firm’s research and development model and altering the firm’s approach to its customers.

Hakan Bjorklund, chief executive officer of Nycomed, said: “Our goal is to build a best-in-class, mid-sized healthcare company that is ready for the future and well positioned to take advantage of future growth opportunities.”

He added that the integration of Altana Pharma was at the “heart” of the challenges faced by the group, in addition to the expiration of the firm’s leading drug and broader shifts in the pharmaceutical industry worldwide.

Nycomed was officially launched as a combined group with Altana Pharma in January 2007, following the acquisition of the firm at the end of last year.