A major employer is finally closing its doors for good.

Recipharm AB in Queenborough, on Sheppey, will cease manufacturing pharmaceutical products on New Year’s Eve.

The majority of the site’s activities involved “finished dose formulation” and the production and packaging of tablets, capsules and liquids for medicines for the pharmaceutical industry.

In July, the company announced almost 150 people were to lose their jobs as the business prepared to close as a result of rising costs.

It came just seven months after it was revealed Recipharm AB had axed 100 jobs due to it having "no choice but to adjust its operating model".

Following these announcements, consultation began on a proposal to close the site by December 31.

Previously, Recipharm explained to its employees that the difficult decision was made after one of its main customers left the site when the product produced on its behalf became a generic medicine.

The spokesman explained: “We have tried to secure the future of the site by reducing costs and bringing new customers.

“Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were not successful in securing future business for the site.

“This is compounded by the continued rise in energy and material costs, which means we cannot justify the significant investment required to upgrade the aged infrastructure to attract new customers.

“Following a detailed and thorough evaluation of the site’s operations, we have concluded it is not financially viable for us to continue production at Queenborough.”

The company confirmed it is unlikely to be able to transfer employees to other UK sites.

Speaking this week, the spokesman added: “As announced in July, our site in Queenborough will be closing at the end of this year.

“Since we made the announcement, we have been supporting our colleagues through several activities, including outplacement support and one-to-one appointments with advisors for CV writing, coaching and interview preparation.

“We also organised a job fair at the site, with a number of local employers.

“This has enabled a significant number of our colleagues to secure alternative employment.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank our colleagues for their commitment and professionalism over the last few months.”

Recipharm isn’t the only pharmaceutical giant in Kent that has had to let staff go.

Last month, hundreds of Pfizer staff were told their jobs at the Sandwich Discovery Park were at risk.

The move is part of a redundancy consultation programme.

The firm is planning to axe 500 jobs and close its experimental research division.

It is proposing to discontinue all laboratory and manufacturing operations at the site.