February 27, 2023 – State labor officials are investigating Akorn pharmaceutical company’s decision to abruptly close all of its operations, including its out-of-state locations in New Jersey, New York, and Switzerland, and to lay off hundreds of workers with almost no warning.
Akorn Operating Co., which is based in the northeastern Illinois city of Gurnee, told its 450 workers in Decatur Wednesday that it planned to file for bankruptcy and that they would be laid off within 24 hours.
The company’s leaders decided on the move after failing to find a buyer for the company.
A spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Labor said Thursday that the agency is investigating the situation because Akorn didn’t file the required 60-day notice of mass layoffs or plant closures until Wednesday.
Akorn’s Illinois locations include its corporate headquarters in Gurnee as well as manufacturing and research facilities in the Chicago suburb of Vernon Hills and in Decatur. The company also has locations in New Jersey, New York and Switzerland.
The company developed, manufactured, and marketed a wide array of branded and generic prescription drugs, including eye drops, injectables, oral liquids, inhalants, and nasal sprays, according to its website. It also developed drugs for animals.
