North Carolina pharmaceutical company laying off 47 in Hoover, leaving Birmingham area
Founded in Birmingham, BioCryst moved its headquarters to North Carolina in 2011.
Chloe Mitchell 
A Durham, North Carolina-based biotechnology company is shuttering its Birmingham area facilities and laying off 47 Hoover workers, according to a WARN notice issued Tuesday.
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in June announced it would discontinue its internal discovery programs and close its Discovery Center of Excellence facility in Birmingham.
Founded in Birmingham, BioCryst moved its headquarters to North Carolina in 2011, with its Birmingham operations supporting the scientific inquiry that leads to the formulation of new compounds.
CEO Charlie Gayer said at the time he was working to leverage the company’s financial position while “building a sustainable rare disease pipeline.”
“While this decision marks the end of internal discovery efforts in Birmingham, we are deeply grateful to the Birmingham team for their meaningful contributions to BioCryst’s science, and we are committed to supporting everyone affected through this transition,” he said in a statement in June.
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., founded in 1986, “is closing its Hoover facility as part of a broader strategic shift,” the notice stated.
The company specializes in rare-disease drug development.
“This closure represents a strategic pivot away from internal research and development, marking the end of BioCryst’s decades-long research presence in the Birmingham metropolitan area,” the notice reads.
