All entries for: Layoffs

June 2, 2026

Merck

Layoffs

Rahway, NJ

10,000+ employees

Merck is again sending employees packing in Rahway, New Jersey. The pharma is laying off 88 employees at its location there effective Sept. 4, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice. Last year, Merck disclosed it was letting go of 262 employees in Rahway over two rounds of cuts, one of which took effect this year.

In August 2025, the pharma divulged it was laying off 58 people at that site on Nov. 14. The news came shortly after Merck confirmed that its $3 billion cost-cutting move could affect about 6,000 employees as part of a multiyear process. In November, the pharma disclosed it would let go of 204 staffers in Rahway from Feb. 20 through May 11.

In February 2026, Merck then disclosed in a WARN notice that it would lay off 154 employees in Durham, North Carolina, on May 1.

Disease Area: Cardiovascular, Infectious Diseases, Multiple, Oncology, Respiratory Diseases

Drug Type: Biologic, Small Molecule

Source

May 27, 2026

Johnson & Johnson

Layoffs

New Brunswick, NJ

10,000+ employees

New Jersey’s job market is taking another hit, this time from pharma giant Johnson & Johnson, which is parting ways with 56 employees in New Brunswick, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act posting for the state. The layoffs will take effect on August 21.

This is J&J’s first announced workforce reduction of this year, according to a tally by BioSpace. But the pharma has for years been constantly reshaping its business to accommodate the loss of exclusivity of its autoimmune disease powerhouse Stelara—a campaign that has involved cutting back investments in other parts of its business, while putting more money into higher-value areas like cancer.

Other Big Pharma players to recently slash their New Jersey headcounts include Novartis, Bristol Myers Squibb and Novo Nordisk.

Disease Area: Immune Diseases, Multiple, Neurological Diseases, Oncology

Drug Type: Biologic, Small Molecule

Source

May 22, 2026

Novartis

Layoffs

Basel, Baselstadt

10,000+ employees

Novartis is continuing to trim its workforce in the U.S., letting go of 76 employees in East Hanover, New Jersey, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act alert for the state. The layoffs will take effect on Aug. 21.

This will be the third time this year that Novartis downsized its New Jersey operations. The first batch of layoffs was announced in March, affecting 114 employees set to take effect from June 26 through Nov. 27. The second hit came a month later, with 60 jobs projected to be cut from July 24 through Nov. 20.

Novartis earlier this month also announced that it would close down a production site in Germany by the end of 2028, eliminating 220 jobs in the process.

Disease Area: Cardiovascular, Dermatology, Immune Diseases, Multiple

Drug Type: Biologic, Small Molecule

Source

May 22, 2026

AbbVie

Layoffs

North Chicago, IL

10,000+ employees

AbbVie’s operations in Irvine, California, will be 85 employees leaner after July 20, with layoffs projected to take place on that date, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act alert.

The pharma has over 40 open posts available in California, including data science and biologics product development listings. A recent BioSpace report found that AbbVie CEO Robert Michael saw a 76% pay bump, with his total compensation package reaching $32.5 million last year as compared to $18.5 million in 2024.

As per BioSpace’s tally, this is the first time AbbVie has announced layoffs this year.

Disease Area: Dermatology, Gastrointestinal, Multiple, Neurological Diseases, Oncology

Drug Type: Biologic, Small Molecule

Source

May 15, 2026

Novartis

Layoffs

Basel, Baselstadt

10,000+ employees

Novartis is letting go of “a select number” of employees within its biomedical research organization, a company spokesperson confirmed to BioSpace in an emailed statement.

“Novartis continually assesses opportunities to support our growth strategy as a focused innovative medicines company,” the statement read. “We regularly evaluate our organizational setup to ensure it remains aligned with evolving priorities.”

The cuts are the latest in a series of made or projected layoffs at Novartis this year that in total affect nearly 400 employees. Earlier this month, the Swiss pharma announced plans to shutter a production facility in Wehr, Germany, by the end of 2028. Novartis expects that closure will eliminate 220 jobs. In March and April, the pharma disclosed between two Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notices that it will let go of 174 employees in East Hanover, New Jersey. Of those cuts, layoffs affecting 114 people are effective June 26 through Nov. 27, while those impacting 60 staffers run from July 24 through Nov. 20.

Disease Area: Cardiovascular, Dermatology, Immune Diseases, Multiple, Oncology

Drug Type: Biologic, Small Molecule

Source

May 15, 2026

Takeda

Layoffs

Tokyo

10,000+ employees

To cut back on costs, Takeda is rolling out a sweeping “transformation program” that will streamline corporate operations and see some 4,500 employees let go in fiscal year 2026, according to an earnings presentation. That number represents less than 10% of total roles globally and does not reflect hiring plans, a company spokesperson told BioSpace in an emailed response on May 13.

“Right now, we have 2,200 open roles globally and we expect to create new jobs throughout the year, which we are prioritizing filling with internal candidates,” the spokesperson said.

The layoffs will look different across the organization and will be phased according to unique business needs and country requirements, according to the spokesperson. They confirmed that the cuts include an estimated 247 roles in Massachusetts and 387 in other states outlined in a March Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice.

Disease Area: Dermatology, Immune Diseases, Multiple, Neurological Diseases, Oncology, Rare Diseases

Drug Type: Biologic, Small Molecule

Source

May 14, 2026

Valneva

Layoffs

Saint-Herblain, Pays de la Loire

501-1,000 employees

Specialty vaccine maker Valneva will trim its global workforce by 10% to 15% as it focuses resources on its base business and key strategic projects, the biotech announced May 13. The France-based company had 674 employees globally, including 22 in Bethesda, Maryland, as of Dec. 31, according to an SEC filing, meaning the layoffs could affect roughly 67 to 101 people.

Valneva expects the cuts will reduce 2026 operating expenses by 25% to 35% when compared to 2025.

The restructuring comes as the biotech reports a Q1 revenue decline. Total revenue was 30.9 million euros ($36.1 million), down from 49.2 million euros ($57.6 million) in the first quarter of 2025. Valneva attributed the dip in part to a planned winddown of third-party sales. The company also noted it is adjusting down its 2026 sales and revenue guidance in part because of “an emerging adverse trend in travel vaccine uptake across key markets, driven by geopolitical factors.” Valneva is revising the product sales guidance range from between 145 million euros and 160 million euros ($170 million to $187 million) to between 135 million euros and 150 million euros ($158 million to $174 million).

Valneva’s last known restructuring was in 2025. The biotech announced in November it would shutter its Nantes, France, site and consolidate operations in Lyon. That move left 30 employees jobless, a spokesperson told Fierce Biotech at the time.

Disease Area: Infectious Diseases

Drug Type: Biologic

Source

May 8, 2026

Gildead Sciences

Layoffs

Foster City, CA

10,000+ employees

In the wake of closing its $7.8 billion Arcellx acquisition last week, Gilead Sciences is gutting the biotech’s workforce in California and Maryland, laying off 192 employees total. Given Arcellx had 220 employees as of March 1, according to an SEC filing last month, the cuts are likely wiping out 87% of the staff.

The largest cuts are happening at the biotech’s headquarters in Redwood City, California. Gilead is letting go of 108 employees at that site effective June 30, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice. The pharma is also laying off 84 people in Rockville, Maryland. Those cuts are taking place over a longer period, from June 30, 2026, to April 30, 2027, according to a WARN notice.

Both notices were dated April 30, two days after Gilead announced it had completed its acquisition of Arcellx, making the biotech a wholly owned subsidiary.

Disease Area: Antiviral, Immune Diseases, Infectious Diseases, Multiple, Oncology, Rare Diseases

Drug Type: Biologic, Small Molecule

Source

May 8, 2026

Novartis

Layoffs

Basel, Baselstadt

10,000+ employees

Novartis plans to close a production facility in Wehr, Germany, by the end of 2028, a move that’s expected to eliminate 220 jobs, the Swiss pharma announced May 5.

The site, which makes solid oral dosage forms such as tablets and capsules for mostly established Novartis products, is no longer competitive, the company noted in its announcement. Novartis said it remains committed to Germany as a business location.

The pharma is investing 35 million euros (about $41 million) into a new production facility for radioligand therapies in Halle, Germany. The site will produce personalized cancer therapies for patients in Germany and should be operational in 2027, according to the announcement.

Disease Area: Cardiovascular, Dermatology, Immune Diseases, Multiple, Oncology

Drug Type: Biologic, Small Molecule

Source

May 6, 2026

Gilead Sciences

Layoffs

Foster City, CA

10,000+ employees

After closing its $7.8 billion takeover of Arcellx last week, Gilead Sciences is now letting go of 108 employees at the biotech’s headquarters in Redwood City, California, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) alert for the state. The layoffs will take effect on June 30.

Arcellx had 220 employees as of March 1, according to a securities filing last month, indicating that Gilead’s cuts will nearly halve the biotech’s workforce.

Gilead and Arcellx are long-time partners. The companies joined hands in December 2022, with the pharma paying $225 million upfront alongside a $100 million equity investment in the biotech. The deal was focused on Arcellx’s late-stage CAR T therapy—the asset that would later be named anito-cel—for the treatment for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Gilead at the time pledged up to $3.9 billion in milestones.

Disease Area: Antiviral, Immune Diseases, Infectious Diseases, Multiple, Oncology, Rare Diseases

Drug Type: Biologic, Small Molecule

Source