GSK to close antibiotic factory next year

GSK said the factory would close next year when a contract to produce antibiotics ended

Pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has confirmed it is shutting one of its UK factories in June 2025.

The site in Ulverston, Cumbria, has been producing the antibiotic Zinnat for the Swiss-owned firm Sandoz.

In 2021, GSK said the factory was likely to close in 2025 when its contract with Sandoz ceased "in the absence of any other alternative".

About 100 workers are thought to affected by the closure.

GSK said it was continuing to explore alternative options for the land and was in "in-depth discussions with interested parties".

A spokesperson said it had been an "uncertain period" for its Ulverston staff and that the firm planned to make a £2m donation to the local area.

"We are working with local leaders to determine how to best invest [the donation] and benefit the local community," the spokesperson said.

"We remain extremely proud of GSK Ulverston’s record of delivering medicines to around two billion patients across the world, over its 75-year history".