About 350 staff at drug firm Astra Zeneca's Bristol site are waiting to hear if they're among 6,000 staff to lose their jobs worldwide.

The cuts add to an existing programme to reduce its workforce, which will now see 15,000 job losses across Astra Zeneca's global operations.

The Avlon plant, in Hallen, Avonmouth, makes bulk ingredients for AstraZeneca's drugs, which are processed and packaged into products ready for the pharmacy at the company's other sites.

The latest job cuts will be made by 2013, following the loss of around 9,000 posts since 2007, according to the group.

It is unclear what impact this will have on the UK, where AstraZeneca employs around 11,000 people.

The company would not reveal how many jobs would be lost in the UK following today's announcement.

AstraZeneca has already begun informing staff of some of the further job cuts, which come in addition to the 9,000 first announced, it said.

The group has a number of operations across the UK, including its head office in Macclesfield, Cheshire, and sites in Alderley Park, Loughborough, Bristol, Luton and London.

AstraZeneca today announced annual pre-tax profits of 8.68 billion US dollars (£6.06 billion), up 9%, but lower than some analysts were expecting.