J&J's Janssen to close part of its vaccine division -Telegraaf

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -Johnson & Johnson's Janssen division, which helped to develop its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, will close much of its vaccine research and development operations in the Netherlands, newspaper De Telegraaf reported.

In an emailed response on Wednesday, Johnson & Johnson confirmed plans to exit some of its vaccine research and development programmes, which it said it had initially disclosed in its 2023 second-quarter results.

"We also continually assess our global footprint, including in the Netherlands, to ensure it meets our current and evolving scientific needs," Johnson & Johnson said, adding that its facility in Leiden, Netherlands was an "important site".

De Telegraaf reported that 2,500 people worked at Janssen in the Netherlands, a quarter of which were in the section specialising in infectious diseases and vaccines.

It is not clear how many jobs are at risk.

J&J's relatively large Dutch vaccine operation stems in part from its $2.1 billion acquisition in 2011 of vaccine maker Crucell.

J&J said during second quarter earnings in July it would cease development of vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hepatitis, and HIV. It said on Wednesday it is continuing work on a vaccine against E.coli bacterial infections.

The Janssen COVID-19 vaccine did not perform as well as the company hoped in high-income countries due in part to worries about blood clots as a rare side effect. In June 2023, the FDA revoked emergency-use authorization for the vaccine at Janssen's request.

(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout and Toby SterlingEditing by David Goodman and David Evans)