DURHAM — Purdue Pharma has sold its Treyburn plant to Novo Nordisk. But it remains unclear what this means for the some 80 employees who work there.

“As a privately held company, it has been our longstanding policy not to comment on our financial strategy,” Josephine Martin, Purdue’s SVP for Corporate Affairs and Communications, told WRAL TechWire on Sunday night. “We are, however, committed to ensuring that our business remains strong and sustainable.”

She did not mention the possibility of layoffs.

“We remain focused on the safe and compliant operation of our facilities, and on serving our customers every day,” she said.  “Like all businesses, we continuously evaluate our assets to identify and capture additional efficiencies where possible.”

On Friday, the firm’s CEO Craig Landau announced the deal in a letter to employees. See full copy of letter here.

Connecticut-based Purdue, which makes pain products such as OxyContin and Butrans, opened the facility in 2015. Estimated to have cost around $59 million, it was created as a backup and overflow to the firm’s Wilson facility.

Following the close of purchase, Landau said Perdue plans to lease back the space from Novo Nordisk and occupy it through the fall. The firm plans to vacate the facility on Dec. 1.

“Until that time, we will be operating in a ‘business as usual’ manner,” he said.

https://wraltechwire.com/2019/08/03/hundreds-of-jobs-in-doubt-after-perdue-pharma-downsizes-sells-treyburn-plant/