Here are three things to know about the layoffs.
1. The job cuts, as well as some employee transfers, are expected to affect fewer than 10 percent of discovery, preclinical and early development employees in Kenilworth, Rahway, N.J., and North Wales, Pa., according to Merck.
2. The layoffs are part of a reorganization for Merck’s research unit. Merck said the company is making the changes to create “earlier access to emerging external science and technology to augment our leading discovery and development capabilities,” The Wall Street Journal reports.
3. The layoffs also come as Merck plans to start new laboratories in Cambridge, Mass., and the San Francisco Bay Area. Additionally, the report notes, Merck plans to set up a research site in South San Francisco next year that initially will focus on cardiovascular, metabolic and cancer research.
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