THOUSAND OAKS : Official Says Cuts Won’t Hurt Plant

A new Thousand Oaks biotechnology plant will not be hurt by cutbacks announced Tuesday by its parent firm, Baxter International, a company official said.

In fact, the Southern California biotechnology division--which includes the Thousand Oaks facility--could benefit from the corporation’s restructuring as top company officials put more emphasis on its profitable medical technology businesses.

Baxter, the world’s largest hospital supplier, announced Tuesday that it will take a $700-million charge against its fourth-quarter earnings to cover costs associated with a massive restructuring.

It will also set aside another $225 million against its potential liability for ruptured silicone breast implants and HIV-tainted blood-clotting products, according to officials at the company’s headquarters in Deerfield, Ill.

The Thousand Oaks facility, which recently held an open house for local officials and members of the business community, now employs only about 20 people, said John Bacich, president of Baxter’s Southern California biotechnology division. The plant is awaiting validation from the federal Food and Drug Administration, which can take about a year, Bacich said.

After the facility receives validation, probably in early 1995, it will begin to manufacture synthetic plasma products, he said. Baxter hopes to employ between 500 and 700 people at the Thousand Oaks plant in the next five to seven years, Bacich said.

The 70,000-square-foot plant is on 25 acres at the northern end of Rancho Conejo Drive.