Charles River Laboratories International Inc. (NYSE:CRL) suspended operations at its preclinical services unit in Shrewsbury, a move that will result in about 300 layoffs.
About 30 of the 300 employees will be kept on to maintain the facility or be reassigned to other positions within the company, according to a spokeswoman for the Wilmington, Mass.-based contract research organization. Operations will resume at the facility when “global preclinical market conditions improve and the Company requires additional capacity,” according to a press release.
The preclinical unit provides the services required to take a drug through the development process, including discovery support, toxicology, pathology, as well as Phase I clinical trials, according to the company.