Almost 2,200 jobs are to go at the Organon pharmaceuticals company in Oss, as owner Merck shuts down the entire R&D division and transfers its women’s health research to the US.

Around 1,000 high-skilled jobs will go through the closure of the R&D department which will be closed by the beginning of next year, Nos tv said. The rest of the jobs will be lost in production,reducing the 4,500-strong workforce by half.
In total, Merck expects to reduce its workforce by 15%, the company said in a statement.
Organon, known for its contraceptive pills, was sold by AkzoNobel to Schering-Plough at the end of 2007. Schering-Plough was taken over by Merck at the end of last year.
Rationalisation
Merck, now known as MSD in Europe, is in the process of rationalising its operations following a string of acquisitions. The company also blames the trend towards using cheaper, generic medicines for reducing the amount of money available for innovation, Nos tv reports.
Organon is a major employer in the Noord-Brabant town of Oss. Operations are also being phased out in Boxmeer and Schaik, as well as in Britain, Germany and Denmark.
Industrial estate
According to the Financieele Dagblad, Organon, the local council and economic affairs ministry officials now want to develop a pharmaceuticals campus in the region, similar to the Philips high-tech campus in Eindhoven and Chemelot chemicals industry industrial park in Heerlen.
‘We are regret the consqueences for hard-working collagues who will be leaving the company,’ said regional director Hans Kortlever in the Volkskrant. ‘ We are doing as much as we can to help the affected workers find another job.’