AFP - Pfizer announced Monday cuts in its research activities and staff after acquiring pharmaceutical rival Wyeth.

Research and development activities will now be conducted at five main sites and nine specialized units around the world, compared with 20 R&D sites on completion of the Wyeth deal in mid-October, a company statement said.

"As part of the consolidation of research sites, Pfizer will significantly reduce R&D activities at some of its sites," it said.

The company will move a number of functions from three US centers to other locations and will discontinue R&D operations in six local centers as well.

R&D operations at Gosport, Slough/Taplow in Britain will also be discontinued.

"As a result of these changes, Pfizer will reduce its global R&D square footage by 35 percent," the statement said.

"While these changes are expected to bolster productivity and reduce costs, they will result in staff reductions," it quoted company officials as saying.

No specific numbers were given in terms of staff cuts.

In announcing the acquisition in January, the New York-based firm said it would be cutting its global workforce by around 10 percent, eliminating jobs in sales, manufacturing, research and development, and administration.

Pfizer will now have five main research sites that will serve as central hubs for research activities in BioTherapeutics, PharmaTherapeutics and Vaccines, the company said.

These sites are in Cambridge, Massachussetts; Groton, Connecticut; Pearl River, New York; La Jolla, California; and Sandwich, Britain.

These research-oriented laboratories will be supplemented by specialized research capabilities, such as monoclonal antibody discovery in San Francisco, regenerative medicine work in Cambridge, Britain, and research and development activities in Shanghai, China, the statement said.

"In less than a month, we have made complex business decisions needed to combine these two R&D organizations thoughtfully yet quickly," said Martin Mackay, president, PharmaTherapeutics Research & Development.

Pfizer's acquisition of Wyeth in a 68 billion dollar deal boosted its position as the world's biggest drugmaker as it prepares for the expiration of patents on its blockbuster drugs and as some of its key drugs face competition from generic manufacturers.