Allergan Buys Argentine Firm, Cuts Jobs : Pharmaceuticals: Acquisition boosts operations by Buenos Aires subsidiary. Elimination of 100 positions this week leaves 25 Irvine employees out of work.

Allergan Inc., a manufacturer of eye- and skin-care products, said Wednesday that its Buenos Aires subsidiary has acquired a controlling interest of an Argentine eye-care products maker.

The company also revealed that it has eliminated about 100 jobs, or 1.8% of its worldwide work force, earlier this week as part of an ongoing effort to cut costs.

The acquisition of Labortorios Oftalmologicos Argentinos--that country’s fourth largest eye-care pharmaceutical company--propels Allergan’s Argentine subsidiary from being a mere sales and marketing outpost into a viable manufacturing concern. This move makes Allergan the largest eye-care manufacturer and second-largest provider of ophthalmic pharmaceuticals in Argentina.

The only other Allergan manufacturing facility in South America is in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Allergan officials said the acquisition is part of a long-term strategy to boost its domestic and international position through alliances and acquisitions of foreign eye- and skin-care concerns. In March, the Irvine-based company acquired Entravision Inc., a Lenoir, N.C., maker of ophthalmic surgical products, and in July last year, it acquired the assets of Oculinum Inc., a Berkeley producer of drugs that control muscle spasms.

Labortorios Oftalmologicos has 40 employees but Allergan spokesman Shel Holtz said some jobs may be eliminated there “to eliminate redundancies that are created” by the acquisition.

Separately, Allergan said it eliminated 100 positions last week, 43 of which were at the company’s Irvine offices. Of those 43, 25 employees were laid off and the rest were unfilled positions, said Holtz, who added that the reduction is across the board.

The last major layoff at Allergan was a year ago, when it eliminated 200 jobs worldwide. The most recent job reduction at its Irvine offices was in April, when 10 people were let go, Holtz said.

Allergan has about 5,300 employees worldwide, with about 1,600 in its three Orange County facilities.