MANATI/ Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals fired some 50 employees at its Manatí plant this week, and said 100 additional workers would lose their jobs shortly. The plant employs 485.

Manatí Mayor Juan “Aubin” Cruz said his administration would assist the displaced workers to look for other jobs.

Ortho-McNeil is a unit of diversified health care products company Johnson & Johnson. The local cuts come after a move announced last week to eliminate 900 jobs from the Ortho-McNeil-Janssen unit across the country.

The cuts were to include a mix of attrition and hiring freezes and were part of the company's strategy to trim its U.S. sales force and refocus its approach in the market, said spokeswoman Kara Russell.

The cuts amount to about 6% of J&J's overall pharmaceutical sales force.

In January, the maker of baby shampoo, contraceptives and other health items forecast weaker results in 2009, blaming the global recession, unfavorable currency exchange rates and intensified pressure from both generic drugs and competitors' new products.