Wyeth phases out NY facility

The three-year transition plan aims to phase out production of over-the-counter drugs as well as some of the best-selling ethical drugs currently on the market. The facility, located at Rouses Point, New York, manufactures and packages all dosage forms, from solid dosage to sterile fills.

Wyeth's plans to discontinue production comes as a major blow to the 1800 employees, although Wyeth has not stated how many employees will be impacted by the decision.

The workforce has been affected by the significant reduction in overall sales volume of Premarin, the company's female hormone replacement product, which has affected the site's long-term viability.

Sales of Premarin started to plunge last year after a National Institute of Health Study linked long-term use of the therapy to an increased risk for stroke.

Wyeth​ will begin workforce reductions in 2006, which will extend over the next three years.

The company said it was exploring options for sale of the site and would work to identify potential buyers.

"The decision to discontinue operations at Rouses Point is a difficult one. We understand what a challenging time it is for our employees who will be affected by these changes,"​ said Robert Vincent, managing director of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals' Rouses Point facility.

"We are committed to helping these employees and their families and want to assure them and the community that we will offer timely support,"​ he added.

This is the second manufacturing facility that Wyeth has closed this year. Wyeth discontinued operations at its Marietta, Pennsylvania vaccines manufacturing facility as of December 31, 2004.

The site was one of the primary manufacturing facilities for the company, focusing primarily on biologics and vaccines. Most recently, the site was primarily involved in manufacturing an investigational influenza vaccine.

The facility was eventually sold to rivals GlaxoSmithKline.