Once billed as a “game-changer” for Western New York by former governor Andrew Cuomo, Athenex has filed for bankruptcy and signaled to state labor authorities that 123 employees will be laid off in three phases ending in August, WIVB reported. The global biopharmaceutical company had offices in the Conventus Building on Main Street in downtown Buffalo and in Clarence. The doors will close on Aug. 10, ending a 20-year run that began in a University at Buffalo chemistry laboratory with co-founder David Hangauer. “Our office is committed to supporting impacted workers and families and encourages workers to contact the New York State Department of Labor for information on employment resources,” a spokesman for Gov. Kathy Hochul said. Cuomo, through his Buffalo Billion economic development initiative, infused $200 million in subsidies to build Athenex a new manufacturing facility in Dunkirk. Another $25 million went to design space in the Conventus Building for its headquarters. Cuomo said Athenex would create 1,400 jobs in Western New York. “Western New York’s economic transformation has captured the attention of companies and investors around the globe,” Cuomo said on Feb. 11, 2016, when he announced the project. But the company never met that job promise, and Athenex faced numerous setbacks over the years that proved too much to overcome.
