Some scientists who would have lost their jobs at a large pharmaceutical firm in Leicestershire have set up their own biotech companies. Dr Richard Weaver, one of the 35 ex-AstraZeneca employees who have launched their own business, said plans to axe his job forced him to make the move. He set up his company by renting a laboratory at BioCity Nottingham Ltd. AstraZeneca had said its Loughborough plant would close by the end of 2011, resulting in the loss of 1,200 jobs. The drug company, which develops treatments for lung and breathing problems, said research facility closures were part of a global restructuring, and planned to shed about 8,000 posts.