AstraZeneca moves research operations to Australia

Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is moving clinical trial operations to Australia and is to stop funding biomedical research in New Zealand.

AstraZeneca general manager Lance Gravatt said today the company had downsized its New Zealand workforce from 70 to 45 this year.

"As part of this downsizing, AstraZeneca will no longer have local capability in clinical research operations. This will, in future, be co-ordinated from Australia," he said .

Dr Gravatt said AstraZeneca had had significant research relationships with most of the major medical schools in New Zealand in a range of therapy areas.

"The bread and butter, as I see it, of clinical research is the routine investment that pharmaceutical companies make and that is used by institutions to fund their more entrepreneurial endeavours."

However, the commercial pharmaceutical environment in New Zealand had made a long-term commitment to clinical research difficult, Dr Gravatt said.

He cited "a whole government sort of approach", especially in the areas of pharmaceuticals purchasing and intellectual property, as the reasons for the unfavourable environment.

"AstraZeneca is taking the view that it is difficult to partner long-term in New Zealand... Why would you be choosing to invest there significantly when there doesn't seem to be any signals that your presence is particularly valued in any way?," Dr Gravatt said.

- NZPA