Pharmaceutical giants Pfizer, Wyeth roll over; employees squashed

By Mike Owens

KSDK -- Six hundred employees of Pfizer got the word Monday: the company no longer needs them and they'll be laid off.

That layoff announcement comes after Pfizer bought Wyeth in the spring. The purchase left the combine company with excess research capacity.

There are 1,000 employed at the Chesterfield facility at the moment, but only 400 will be left after the layoffs are complete. The company will combine its research, but leave research into vaccines and older drugs in St. Louis.

A company spokesman says it's a difficult time, but hard decisions have been forced by the economy.

As Pfizer announced its layoffs, Monsanto announced it was buying the Chesterfield campus for $435 millions.

That's a twist, since Monsanto built the complex in the early 1980's, and sold it to Pfizer.
Some Monsanto employees work at the Chesterfield complex, and their number will go up as Monsanto takes over.

Robb Fraley, Monsanto's technology chief, says it's too soon to say if there will be jobs for the Pfizer employees being laid off, adding it will be next summer before the changes start happening.

One major issue for Pfizer: the company has received millions of dollars in tax breaks from the state and the county to retain employees at Chesterfield.

Some of the state money will go away, now that jobs are being lost.

As for the county, it's mostly tax abatement, which could be transferred to Monsanto.

Denny Coleman is the county economic development director, and says his office is analyzing what the next step is. That next step could including asking Pfizer to pay back some of the money.