Illinois investigating drugmaker Akorn’s abrupt closure

CHICAGO (AP) — State labor officials are investigating an Illinois-based 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. The Chicago Tribune reports that Gurnee-based Akorn Operating Co. told its 400 workers on Wednesday that it planned to file for bankruptcy and that they would be laid off within 24 hours. CEO Douglas Boothe told employees that the company made the move after failing to find a buyer. An Illinois Department of Labor spokesperson 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.