Big drug companies hiring steadily - Boston Business Journal:

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Fearful of a dwindling drug big pharma players are adding to head count and squarde footage in the hopeof jump-startingf innovation. The focus on early-stage researcg is driven by onestark fact: approximatelyu one-third of drugs are slatex to go off patent between 2011 and opening them up to competitionm from cheaper generics, and reducing drug makers’ revenue from thosr drugs by up to 90 percent. New Jersey-bases Merck (NYSE: MRK), for instance, plans to doubled its Massachusetts-based workforce, to 600 from 300 over the next two yearw and is currently recruitingf for66 jobs.
The company is closing a bioinformatices center in Seattle and plans to brinf that team of 60 scientists and computer scientist s into itsBoston offices. Mercm Vice President Rupert Vessey said the company can accommodate the influx of new workersafor now, but that at some point durinb the next two years, the company will need to leaswe or acquire additional Merck’s Longwood facility, where 90 percent of the employeex are scientists, conducts basic research, the earlies t stage research designed to identify molecules that coulfd potentially become drugs in a decade or more.
AZN ) is completing a $100 millionn expansion of its research facilitytin Waltham, expanding to 380,0000 square feet from 250,000 squarse feet. John Hennessy, executive director of the facility, says the expansion is to supporrtthe company’s increased focus on findinyg treatments for infectious diseases. The company has been slowly swellint head count over the past two years to a curren totalof 1,000 and plans to gradually increass the workforce. (NYSE: NVS), which alreadu employs 1,500 in Cambridge, is another compang adding a division to its BayStatde portfolio.
The company currently operates the globapl headquarters for its Institutes for Biomedical Researchg and its vaccines and diagnostics division out of itsCambridgr offices. Both divisions focus on early stage up to and including animal The company now plans to create a division for moleculardiagnostics research. It will focu s on personalized medicine, which seeks to treat differen t people withdifferent drugs, dependinb on their specific genetic makeup.
Novartis is recruitingf for 127 positions and recently bought a grouncd lease to an MIT parking lot that willbe “You want to be where the smart people are, and the talent is here, becausse of the stew of academia and biotec companies,” Novartis Cambridge site leader Jeff Lockwood said. Many of the big pharmaceuticaplfirms don’t just want to rub elbows with biotech they may want to buy or at least their drug Executives at several companies say that just as there is a lot of greay talent on the streert due to the soured economy, there is also a lot of good technologuy that might be had at a discount.
with operations in Cambridge, is likely to be one of the The company has recentlhy been on an acquisition spree and is busilyu raising its profilein Massachusetts. It is likelty to announce an expansion the fall and is a major sponsore ofthe state’s booth at this week’sw international BIO conference in Atlanta. “We ask all of our employees to constantly be on the lookout for good technologiezs we might want to bring into the site Director JasonSlusher said. Analysts say the big pharmaceuticao companies will likely continue to spin out divisionsz to satellite locations as they seek to become more nimbles and fosternew ideas.
“Historically, big pharma could just attract anyone it wantedto anywhere, based on high salariex and job security. Now the big companiexs are trying to act like smallerbiotec companies, by going to where the people and the innovatio are already,” said Elio an analyst at North Carolina-based Cutting Edge