PHILADELPHIA: British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc said on Wednesday it would cut about 650 positions in the United States related to a global restructuring program it announced in July.

The job cuts would include about 100 each in its back office in Philadelphia and at Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and 450 sales representatives, GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman Mary Anne Rhyne said in a statement.

The savings from these cuts will help fund increases in research and development and commercial support of new products, Rhyne said.

GSK employs about 15,000 people in the United States.