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| Hundreds of jobs go at Glaxo site | Hundreds of jobs go at Glaxo site |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is to close its factory in Kent in 2013 with the loss of hundreds of jobs. | The pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is to close its factory in Kent in 2013 with the loss of hundreds of jobs. |
| About 620 people are expected to be affected when the Dartford site closes. | About 620 people are expected to be affected when the Dartford site closes. |
| The firm, which employed 3,000 people at the site 10 years ago, blamed the closure on the termination of patents. | |
| Its patent for the production of an epilepsy drug has just expired and another for a treatment for herpes is due to expire next year. | |
| The loss of patents mean that cheaper generic versions of their products can be manufactured elsewhere. | |
| GSK said it was now consulting with unions over the job losses. | |
| The firm, which is the world's second largest drug-maker, announced in July that its Sussex site would close in 2011 with the loss of 493 jobs. |