2,400 science jobs axed as Pfizer shuts Viagra HQ

A drug research centre where Viagra was invented is to close with the loss of up to 2,400 jobs, it was announced today.

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is to phase out its operations in Kent over the next two years where the blue pill was first developed.

The company said the closure of the facility in Sandwich was part of a global restructuring programme "to create a more focused and sustainable research and development engine for innovation".

Sildenafil citrate - Viagra - was synthesized by chemists working at the research centre on medicine for high blood pressure and angina.
However it was soon discovered to have little effect treating those conditions, but was effective in treating penile dysfunction. The drug was patented in 1996 and approved for marketing in the US in 1998.

Dr Ruth McKernan, the company's head at Sandwich, said: "It is with a deep sense of sadness that we announce our proposal to exit our site in Sandwich. It has played an important role in the discovery and development of medicines and has brought many life-saving treatments to patients."
The closure of the plant is likely to have a detrimental effect on the local community. A company spokesman said "every effort" would be made to mitigate the impact.

A total of £240 million has been spent on the research and development facilities at the
340-acre Sandwich site over the last five years.