AHP to Cut 2,500 Jobs

American Home Products Corp., maker of the painkiller Advil, said it will cut about 2,500 jobs at its Wyeth-Ayerst drug-making unit and end cardiovascular and metabolic-disease research programs. Wyeth-Ayerst will continue other research programs, such as those in women’s health, cancer treatments and vaccines, said Lowell Weiner, a company spokesman. The cutbacks come as sales decline for American Home, making it one of the few U.S. drug makers not to report substantial growth in quarterly profits. Instead, American boosted fourth-quarter profit 3.2% by cutting research and marketing costs.