In a statement to Crain’s, Pfizer spokesperson Pamela Eisele confirmed the layoffs but did not answer questions about what types of positions are affected and whether employees will receive severance packages.
Eisele said the layoffs are part of a plan to discontinue some research projects as the company refocuses its research and development strategy.
“Our efforts to rebalance our R&D portfolio and implement these strategic changes will result in colleague impact in certain areas of our organization,” Eisele said in a statement. “In other cases, there will be new roles, creating opportunities for colleagues across the enterprise.”
Eisele did not respond to further questions about whether Pfizer is hiring in Lake Forest, but the company lists 16 open positions at the site on its website. Roles include data scientists, marketing professionals and customer service representatives.
Pfizer began operating the Lake Forest office when it acquired injectable-drugmaker Hospira for $17 billion in 2015. With the deal, Pfizer gained 19,000 employees worldwide. At the time, Pfizer also said it would cut $800 million in costs, which experts predicted would result in layoffs.
It’s unclear exactly how many employees still work at Pfizer’s Lake Forest office after the layoffs, but a 2022 presentation on Pfizer’s website says more than 700 scientists and other professional worked at the site.
The personnel cuts come several months after Pfizer sold the Lake Forest office building to Toronto-based Slate Office REIT for $19.8 million. Even still, Pfizer has committed to a long-term lease for most of the four-story building, Crain’s previously reported.
Pfizer, which reported $100 billion in revenue last year, employed more than 83,000 people worldwide, about 32,000 of which were based in the U.S. at the end of 2022, according to the company’s most recent annual filing with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission.