December 10, 2014
By Mark Terry, BioSpace.com Breaking News Staff
French company Pierre Fabre announced on Tuesday that it was cutting 551 jobs in its research and development and sales areas by 2016. Almost all of these positions will be in France.
Pierre Fabre is split between pharmaceuticals and dermo-cosmetics. Its pharmaceutical franchises are in the areas of oncology, dermatology, women’s health, neuropsychiatry, family health, oral/dental health, natural health and other therapeutic areas. It employs approximately 10,000 people worldwide, 6,500 of them in France. It cited revenue of about 2 billion euros in 2013.
The cuts are part of the company’s medium-range strategy out to 2018. The purpose is to trim pharmaceutical costs in order to develop a consumer healthcare franchise and grow its dermo-cosmetics business in Asia and the U.S. The R&D operations already cut 272 jobs in southern France. In addition to the French job cuts, the company will be closing an R&D facility in Barcelona.
The company’s dermo-cosmetic brands includes Korane, Avène and Glytone. Additional franchises include Elancyl, Galénic, René Furterer, Ducary and A-Derma. Pierre Fabre’s cosmetics division accounts for about 55 percent of the company’s revenues.
Last week the company won the Prix Galien Award for pharmaceutical research. The award specifically cited the company’s Hemangiol, an oral pediatric propranolol solution used to treat some severe infantile hemangiomas. It was approved by the FDA in March 2014, followed shortly after by the European Health Agencies (EMA) in April 2014.
For this product, the company partnered with the University of Bordeaux. Pierre Fabre Dermatologie was responsible for preclinical and clinical development. The effects of propranolol on infantile hemangiomas was first observed in 2008 by a researcher at the Bordeaux University Hospital, Christine Léauté-Labrèze.
“This award for Hemangiol is recognition of the progress made in the treatment of a pediatric dermatological condition for which there was a real therapeutic need,” said company CEO Eric Ducournau in a statement. “Our public-private partnership which kicked off 7 years ago with the Bourdeaux University, the University Hospital with support from the agency ‘Aquitaine Science Transfer,’ is thus rewarded.”
Many companies announce job cuts during the fourth fiscal quarter in December, and the biopharma industry is no different. Novartis recently announced cuts up to 200 jobs at its U.S. headquarters, as did Actavis.
