LONDON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline confirmedon Wednesday it would shed several hundred U.S. commercial jobsand a similar number of research positions as it restructuresoperations in its biggest market, where drug sales are flagging.
Many of the jobs lost will be from GSK's Research TrianglePark site in North Carolina as drug research is consolidated inPhiladelphia and in Stevenage, near London.
"This is a significant programme and will result in the lossof several hundred employees in the U.S. commercial business anda similar number in R&D activities based in the U.S.," a companyspokesman said in an emailed statement.
Sources familiar with the matter said at the weekend thedrugmaker would inform U.S. staff about the job cuts as itstarts implementing a big cost-saving programme, following asharp decline in sales of its top-selling lung drug Advair.
Britain's biggest drugmaker announced in October that thenew restructuring scheme would save 1 billion pounds ($1.57billion) in annual costs over three years, although it did notgo into details at the time. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Martinne Geller)