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Pharmacy in the UK One of the United Kingdom's leading makers of pharmaceuticals, Zeneca quickly became a full-fledged multinational operation. Now called AstraZeneca, the company is the second-leading manufacturer of cancer treatments in the world (trailing only Bristol-Myers Squibb). The introduction of Nolvadex and Zoladex, used in treating cancers of the breast and prostate respectively, have contributed to record sales figures. The company's other businesses included Zeneca Ag Products, which specializes in crop protection and plant science, and Zeneca Specialties, which produces adhesives, coatings, and other chemicals. Late in 1998, however, the company decided to divest itself of the specialities business to focus on life sciences. Speculation that it would get rid of all its non-pharmaceuticals operations were widespread and proved to be true. In September 1999, AstraZeneca sold Zeneca Specialties in a $2.1 billion management buyout. The company is currently waiting for the EC and FTC to complete investigations over competition concerns in the pending merger of Zeneca Agrochemicals and Novartis' crop protection and seed business. Since December 1999, the two mother companies announced their desire to spin-off their subsidiaries into the new company Syngenta. It would be the largest crop protection business in the world and the third largest in seeds. Far-flung business AstraZeneca manufactures its products in 25 different countries and sells them in 100. The company currently plans to conduct further research into medications for schizophrenia and asthma, as well as to expand in East Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. A 1996 merger with U.S.-based Salick Health Care allowed then-Zeneca unprecedented influence in the treatment of cancer patients through a planned network of inpatient treatment centers. Zeneca's management also sought to make the company into a leading producer of fungicides. 2 become 1 Rumored to be a takeover target since its 1993 spinoff from Imperial Chemical Industries, Zeneca strongly asserted its desire to remain independent in 1998. But by December it had completely changed its tune, agreeing to a $35 billion merger with Swedish pharmaceutical firm Astra. The deal, which closed in April 1999, created the seventh-largest outfit in the American pharmaceutical industry (in terms of sales), and one of the five largest in the world. New and improved AstraZeneca has an R&D budget of over $2 billion annually, and already has 55 new chemical entities (NCEs)in development (26 are in later stages), 10 of which will be launched as drugs by the end of 2001. Seven current products tally $500 million in annual sales, though patents on two top sellers are rapidly expiring (including Astra's ulcer treatment Losec, the world's best-selling drug). While the merged companies restructure, 1,000 jobs will be cut in research and development, though the number of researchers will actually increase. With 10,000 research and developers total, AstraZeneca has the third largest research organization in the world. The new $100 million research center in Boston adds more support for the research of infectious diseases, cancer, and pharmaceuticals to established houses in Sweden, the UK, and other locations in the US. Astra and Zeneca maintain that their products and business culture will mesh well. In fact, they had been in serious merger talks two years earlier, but Astra's joint venture with Merck proved a sticking point. With that obstacle removed, the new deal could be forged. Savings of $1.1 billion within three years are projected, though the combined entity will have to absorb a $1.2 billion restructuring charge. Much of the savings will come through the elimination of about 6000 jobs, composing more than 10 percent of the total workforce.
At www.astrazeneca.com, the company links interested applicants to job opportunities in the US and Sweden under the "About us" and the "People, culture and careers" icons. Or, click on the US Gateway, where you can do a search for current job openings across the States. Applicants are invited to submit a resume to any of the locations listed on this Web page; specific email addresses are listed for each job opening. The company requests that applicants submit resumes and cover letters within the email. In other words, DO NOT SEND ATTACHMENTS. There are also a host of other rules related to submitting your resume, so applicants might want to read through the instructions on the web site carefully. Zeneca's U.S. operations focus more on sales and marketing than on product development. In order to be considered for international positions, applicants must possess a degree from a British university. Zeneca Pharmaceuticals provides internship opportunities for college students in fields such as Sales, Marketing, Business, Computer Technology, Research, and Development. The company has also been known to hire part-time employees to work on long- and short-term assignments. Zeneca Pharmaceuticals requires all prospective employees to take a mandatory drug test.
Employees say that Zeneca's 'British' corporate culture includes a "strong" work ethic, "solid" job security, and "generous" benefits. Even though the pharmaceutical market has recently become more competitive, insiders say that Zeneca has yet to cut costs by laying off workers. Instead, Zeneca is trying to "increase productivity" throughout the company. Some of our contacts say that their distance from the British headquarters can be "frustrating," but they are "optimistic" about Zeneca's current effort to transform itself into "a truly global corporation." Zeneca's recent success in developing cancer medication, moreover, has enabled its insiders to boast about "improving the quality of life for people everywhere."
Gunnar Christiani Human Resources 1800 Concord Pike1 P.O. Box 15437 Wilmington DE 19850-5437 (302) 886-3000 (302) 886-1889
Anesthetics;Antibiotics;Cancer Therapies;Cardiovascular Treatments;Fungicides;Herbicides;Insecticides;Organic Dyes & Pigments;Resins
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