A CHEMICAL works in Huddersfield is set to close with the loss of more than 80 jobs.
Indian-owned Piramal Healthcare Ltd has launched a 30-day consultation period with employes at the plant at Leeds Road, Deighton.
Mumbai-based Piramal said it would transfer production from Huddersfield to other sites in the UK and India as part of cost-cutting efforts.
The Huddersfield site, which achieved revenues of £19m in the last financial year, makes chemicals in small batches for use in clinical trials to develop life-saving drugs.
Piramal also carries out large-scale production of chemicals used in established pharmaceutical products to trat conditions such as glaucoma, HIV and cancer.
The closure decision comes just months after the Huddersfield works was shortlisted in the Innovator 09 Awards recognising the top 18 most innovative businesses in Yorkshire.
