Vaccine production in Dresden is set to end after 115 years, with pharmaceutical group GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announcing plans on Thursday to close its site in the eastern German city by mid-2028.
A company spokesman said production of flu vaccines would be consolidated in future at GSK's site in Ste-Foy, Canada. The reason given was declining global demand and existing overcapacity.
The Dresden site, which employs nearly 650 people, was founded in 1911 by entrepreneur Karl August Lingner - who made his fortune with mouthwash - as the Saxon Serum Works and Institute for Bacteriotherapy.
It was nationalized during the former East German state. After reunification, British group SmithKline Beecham (now GSK) took over production in 1992.
The IG BCE trade union announced its opposition to the planned closure, warning that the state of Saxony risked losing highly skilled industrial jobs and that Germany could lose important pharmaceutical production expertise.
GSK produces flu and hepatitis vaccines at the Dresden plant. According to earlier statements by the company, 2 million vaccine doses are produced each week.