AstraZeneca is laying off 168 pharmaceutical employees at the Avishkar R&D site in Bangalore, India. The company said in a statement that the move is in line with its shift to focus on three core areas—oncology; cardiovascular and metabolic; and respiratory, inflammation and autoimmunity.

The Avishkar operation was focused on conditions including TB, malaria and neglected tropical diseases. AstraZeneca will continue to develop Phase-II TB medication AZD5847. The company said it will continue to make its compound library available to open-innovation partnerships.