Orion to open new Biologics R&D Centre in Cambridge, UK in 2025 to support global growth strategy, considers reorganizing some work in Turku

ORION CORPORATION  
PRESS RELEASE  
10 March 2025 at 11.45 EET 

Orion to open new Biologics R&D Centre in Cambridge, UK in 2025 to support global growth strategy, considers reorganizing some work in Turku 

Orion Corporation today announced that it is establishing a new research & development centre in Cambridge, UK during 2025 to accelerate its global growth strategy and the development of innovative medicines. The new centre will focus on the development of new biological and large-molecule therapies, with biologics CMC capabilities and project leadership to support the Orion biologics research projects which are moving towards clinical phase. 

"Biologics are the fastest growing segment in pharma, representing huge opportunities for new innovative treatments. Cambridge is home to Europe’s largest biomedical research hub, and establishing our own Biologics R&D Centre in the area gives us access to a pool of world-class scientific talent and opportunities for collaboration with high-profile universities. I am thrilled about this continued internationalization of Orion’s R&D to build the best expertise for the future,” says Professor, M.D., Ph.D. Outi Vaarala, Executive Vice President of Innovative Medicines and Research & Development at Orion. 

Orion’s R&D organization currently consists of approximately 400 employees, with major sites located in Espoo and Turku in Finland and smaller clinical development hubs in Nottingham, UK and New York City, USA. 

To ensure an organizational design that optimally supports Orion’s biologics R&D in future, a statutory negotiation process will start in Finland, which will impact approximately 20 employees working in Orion’s Protein and Antibody Engineering and Characterization teams in Turku. Other employees working in Orion R&D are not impacted. 

The company has on Friday, 7 March issued a negotiation proposal, as laid down in the Finnish Act on Co-operation within Undertakings, on the reorganization of operations and possible personnel reductions. The operational changes and reorganizations are anticipated to result in changes to responsibilities, transfers to new roles, transfers to different locations, changes to the terms of employment, and possibly end of employment for some if no alternatives are found. The estimated preliminary redundancy need is a maximum of 15 employees. Should redundancies occur, they would take place during 2025.  

 

Contact person: 
Outi Vaarala 
Executive Vice President 
Innovative Medicines and Research & Development 
tel. +358 10?426 3472 

 

Publisher: 
Orion Corporation 
Communications 
Orionintie 1A, FI-02200 Espoo, Finland 
www.orionpharma.com  
 
Orion is a globally operating Finnish pharmaceutical company – a builder of well-being for over a hundred years. We develop, manufacture and market human and veterinary pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. Orion has an extensive portfolio of proprietary and generic medicines and consumer health products. The core therapy areas of our pharmaceutical R&D are oncology and pain. Proprietary products developed by Orion are used to treat cancer, neurological diseases and respiratory diseases, among others. Orion's net sales in 2024 amounted to EUR 1,542 million and the company had about 3,700 employees at the end of the year. Orion's A and B shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.