RIVERSIDE, Pa. — A pharmaceutical company has announced plans to close its manufacturing site in Northumberland County.
Merck says production will stop at the Cherokee facility in Riverside in 2024.
Merck has been part of Northumberland County since 1950, but the pharmaceutical company's Cherokee plant in Riverside will close in about two years. The announcement came this week. The closure will affect around 300 full-time employees who will lose their jobs.
A statement from the company said the closure is part of Merck's continuous assessment of its operations and evolving business needs. The facility in Riverside produces ingredients for antibiotics.
"Less people means probably a little less business. We'll be fine, and they'll be fine. Everybody will move on, but it's a shame," said Scott Heeter, the owner of Heeter's Drive-in Restaurant in Riverside.
Some of Heeter's customers work at Merck.
"They do a lot of construction down there too through the years, so there's a lot of guys like that who come in that may be not be coming around if they close."
A spokesperson for Merck says employees here will be able to transfer to other locations within the company.
Read the full release from Merck:
As part of Merck's' continuous assessment of its operations and evolving business needs, the company today said it plans to cease production at the Cherokee manufacturing site located in Danville, PA in 2024. The Cherokee plant produces imipenem nonsterile and cilastatin nonsterile for PRIMAXIN/TIENAM and RECARBRIO, as well as Ertapenem Sodium (EP) for INVANZ. After closure of the Cherokee site, Merck will continue to produce PRIMAXIN/TIENAM and RECARBRIO and leverage its existing network for API production.
We will start discontinuation of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing in 2024 which will lead to the ultimate closure of the Cherokee manufacturing site. Currently, we do not know the ultimate disposition of the site.
This decision will impact approximately 300 full-time Merck employees, with separations occurring in a phased approach over a number of years; no separations related to this closure are expected in 2022. It's' important to emphasize that the decision to cease operations is no reflection of the performance of our Cherokee employees.
Merck is committed to assisting and supporting employees at the site and provides separation benefits. Cherokee employees will have the opportunity to apply for other positions within the company with internal job transfer timing managed to ensure continued operation of the site.
Merck is committed to Pennsylvania. The company employs approximately 14,000 people in the state, and in total to date, has invested over $3 billion in our Pennsylvania operations manufacturing medicines and vaccines that help save and improve lives around the world.
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