TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline PLC is restructuring its U.S. operations, starting with reducing its U.S. sales force by 1,000, following many of its top competitors in eliminating sales jobs.
The world's No. 2 drugmaker by revenue also will switch from having dual U.S. headquarters, in Philadelphia and in Research Triangle Park, N.C., to operating just the North Carolina headquarters.
U.S.-traded shares of GlaxoSmithKline fell $3.23, or 8 percent, to close at $36.96 Wednesday.
Spokeswoman Mary Anne Rhyne said that the headquarters change is meant to eliminate confusion and is largely symbolic. There are currently no plans to cut jobs or close offices in Philadelphia related to the headquarters move, she said.
"The goal is to build a business that's more streamlined, that's more customer focused, that meets the challenge of the current marketplace and is better prepared to manage the future portfolio of medicines," Rhyne said.
GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of antidepressant Wellbutrin and Requip for Parkinson's disease, currently has about 8,500 U.S. sales representatives, out of a total of 22,500 employees in the U.S. and 100,000 worldwide.
