A B. Braun subsidiary is closing two sites in Upper Macungie Township, affecting 173 jobs.
A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification was issued for Central Admixture Pharmacy Services Inc. at 6580 and 6845 Snowdrift Road in the Iron Run Industrial Park just off Tilghman Street.
Federal law requires employers to provide notice 60 days in advance of a closing or mass layoff. The WARN notice will be in effect between Sept. 30 and Dec. 31.
According to its website, CAPS is “the nation’s largest network of outsourcing admixture pharmacies.” It serves hospitals and outpatient facilities nationwide and is affiliated with B. Braun Group of Companies in the U.S., which has headquarters in Bethlehem.
B. Braun spokesperson Alli Longenhagen said employees will continue to compound solutions through August and many will remain through the end of the year.
“Some impacted employees are being redeployed into other roles and others are encouraged to apply for open positions within the organization,” she said.
Longenhagen said CAPS decided to exit the 503B sterile compounding business, which is batch compounding with required compliance to federal regulations. She said it is part of “a strategic refocus on its core operations and long-term sustainability.”
Instead, the company will shift focus to its 503A operations — compounding that complies with federal standards and focuses on customized, patient-specific compounding dispensed with a prescription.
“The decision represents a shift to focus on our CAPS 503A compounding business where we will continue to support and invest in our nationwide network of pharmacies and capabilities,” Longenhagen said. “CAPS 503A compounding business remains a critical part of the B. Braun portfolio, delivering high quality, reliable, patient-specific solutions to hospital and outpatient providers through 21 locations across the United States.”
Central Admixture opened the facility in June 2012.