Pfizer will layoff about 210 workers in eastern North Carolina where it has two large facilities that employ thousands of people, according to paperwork filed with the state.
Pfizer will layoff 60 workers at its Rocky Mount facility in Nash County and 150 at its Sanford facility in Lee County.
The manufacturing operation closures have already begun. The last day worked for some employees will be July 31, but their terminations will occur 60 days later. The terminations will be permanent, and there are no bumping rights at these locations, according to the paperwork filed with the N.C. Department of Commerce.
“Pfizer does not take these changes lightly,” said the company in a statement. “Our colleagues are our top priority, and we are committed to keeping them informed throughout the process and providing them with support services. We want to reinforce that this decision is not a reflection on the performance of our colleagues but is in alignment with our site capacity design to meet the needs of the business.”
Pfizer is one of the largest employers in both Lee and Nash counties. Since 2017, the New York-based global drugmaker has invested about $1.4 billion in the state. In January 2023, Pfizer reported it employed about 4,500 workers in the state. It has more than 32,000 U.S. based employees.
In Rocky Mount, Pfizer will decommission select manufacturing lines and make other efficiency changes, according to the company.
“Pfizer regularly evaluates its manufacturing network and the changes at our Rocky Mount manufacturing facility are a result of lower projected product demand and ongoing site modernization efforts,” according to a company statement.
In Sanford, the layoffs are related to a clinical trial failure related to a treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy that was being developed by the global drugmaker.
“In light of the disappointing results, Pfizer does not have plans to continue development of” the treatment. “As a result, there will be staffing changes within our Sanford site, which was the main facility involved in the Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy program, according to the company.
Pfizer employs more than 3,000 workers and contractors at its 230-acre site in Sanford. Workers there make vaccines, gene therapy drugs and other products. The Rocky Mount site is one of the largest sterile injectable facilities in the world, with more than 1.4 million square feet of manufacturing space on 250 acres.
Nearly 25% of Pfizer’s sterile injectables used in U.S. hospitals are produced at the site, equating to about 8% of the total U.S. hospital supply. Almost 50 products are manufactured at the Rocky Mount site, which also employs more than 3,000 workers and contractors, according to Pfizer.
In January 2023, Pfizer announced it would acquire a neighboring manufacturing site in Sanford from Abzena. That site is expected to employ about 200 additional workers in 2025.
