US pharma giant Eli Lilly is to offload its Dundee animal vaccines plant in a move that will see 30 jobs lost immediately and another 130 placed at risk.

Scores of jobs at risk at closure-threatened Dundee animal vaccines plant

Elanco acquired the Dundee site from Novartis last yearKim Cessford

The Prozac maker’s Elanco subsidiary said today it would try to sell its Dunsinane Industrial Estate factory, but stressed the unit will close if a buyer cannot be found.

That could lead to up to another 130 posts being made redundant in the medium term.

The short-term job losses relate to 30 staff in the “global support function” at the Dundee site. Impacted staff will enter into a consultaiton period from mid-February.

The remaining 130 employees are involved in the manufacturing of animal health vaccines and that operation will continue meantime.

The company said the “difficult decision” was made after a review of its global manufacturing base. A second site in Sligo, Ireland is also to close.

Elanco only took over the Dundee factory in January last year following a complex multi-billion pound pharmaceutical deal involving previous owner Novartis.

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