According to cleveland.com, the pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Bedford, previously home to Ben Venue Laboratories, has once again changed ownership, resulting in the loss of over 200 jobs during the transition.
Danish company Xellia Pharmaceuticals, which has operated the Bedford facility since 2016, announced this week that it is selling its U.S. operations to British pharmaceuticals company Hikma.
Interestingly, this is not the first time Hikma has owned the plant. Hikma initially acquired the Bedford facility in 2014 when Ben Venue closed its doors. However, Hikma never resumed operations at the plant and sold it to Xellia in 2015.
Due to the recent sale, Xellia is laying off 247 U.S. workers, including 214 in Bedford. According to a WARN notice sent to the state, the layoffs will commence in August, with the last employees being let go in October. This follows a previous layoff of 80 employees in February, as per an earlier WARN notice.
According to the story, Christopher Eckerle, Xellia’s vice president of manufacturing operations in North America, confirmed the layoffs. He stated that the company is “working with those employees on a transition plan with outplacement services and severance packages.”
Hikma announced plans to revamp the Bedford facility, preparing it for automation. The company expects the plant to be operational within two to three years.
Ben Venue, which once employed approximately 1,100 workers, was Bedford’s largest employer until its closure in 2014.
