GlaxoSmithkline to cut 6,000 jobs

Drugs company GlaxoSmithKline is set to announce about 6,000 job losses when it posts results on Thursday, according to the Sunday Telegraph.

The cuts by Glaxo, the world's second largest drugs company after US group Pfizer, are part of chief executive officer Andrew Witty's strategy to meet the challenges facing the industry, including increased competition from generic drug makers, the newspaper said.

The company, which employs about 100,000 people including 18,000 in the UK, has failed to get as many new drugs to market as investors hoped when it was created via a merger eight years ago.

Witty has tried to shift Glaxo's centre of gravity away from blockbuster prescription drugs, like top-seller Advair for asthma, and towards non-prescription consumer healthcare products.

A Glaxo spokesman said the company has a restructuring programme but he declined to comment on specific job cuts.

Rival AstraZeneca announced 6,000 job losses on Thursday after posting weaker than expected fourth-quarter sales.