Bristol Myers Squibb will lay off 57 workers from its Redwood City, California facility next month, according to a WARN notice filed on February 26. The latest layoff, first reported by Fierce Pharma, is part of a billion-plus-dollar cost-cutting program announced last year and expanded last month. BMS laid off more than two thousand employees in 2024 in total. According to BMS’ website, its Redwood City R&D campus is focused on the tumor microenvironment.
All entries for: Oncology
March 6, 2025
Bristol Myers Squibb
Layoffs
Princeton, NJ
10,001-50,000 employees
Disease Area: Multiple, Oncology
Drug Type: Biologic, Small Molecule
March 5, 2025
ALX Oncology
Layoffs
San Francisco, CA
51-200 employees
ALX Oncology, a Bay Area biotech firm currently running clinical trials for its anticancer therapy, announced Wednesday that it’s laying off about 30% of its staff.
Disease Area: Multiple, Oncology, Rare Diseases
Drug Type: Small Molecule
February 13, 2025
Kojin Therapeutics
Discontinued Research
Boston, MA
1-50 employees
“Kojin Therapeutics will be restructuring and winding down its operations in the coming months. Since last year, with a new leadership team in place, we have made striking progress in developing first-in-class, small-molecule, ferroptosis inducers for potential use in patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases. However, obtaining sufficient funding to propel these programs forward into IND-enabling studies and clinical trials has proven difficult to achieve.”
1 Discontinued Research Program
Disease Area: Chronic Disease, Immune Diseases, Multiple, Oncology
Drug Type: Small Molecule
January 15, 2025
University of Rochester Medical Center
Discontinued Research
Rochester, NY
1-50 employees
The APATIT-G study was a pilot clinical trial conducted by the University of Rochester to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of avatrombopag in treating thrombocytopenia caused by temozolomide in glioma patients. However, the study was terminated by the sponsor before it could be completed.
1 Discontinued Research Program
Disease Area: Oncology
Drug Type: Small Molecule
December 10, 2024
Belharra Therapeutics
Layoffs
San Diego, CA
1-50 employees
“San Diego startup Belharra Therapeutics, a biotech creating small molecule cancer and immunology medicines, has laid off 21 employees, Endpoints News has confirmed…
The employee cuts are expected to allow Belharra to extend its runway to achieve “key inflection points” while alleviating capital raise pressures, according to a spokesperson’s emailed statement to Endpoints. That spokesperson also wrote that the biotech will continue advancing its lead programs and working with partners Genentech and Sanofi.”
Disease Area: Immune Diseases, Multiple, Oncology
Drug Type: Small Molecule
December 9, 2024
Epizyme
Discontinued Research
Boston, MA
51-200 employees
Epizyme, Inc. has terminated its study of tazemetostat with enzalutamide or abiraterone/prednisone in participants with advanced prostate cancer (CELLO-1) due to a sponsor decision unrelated to safety concerns.
1 Discontinued Research Program
Disease Area: Multiple, Oncology, Rare Diseases
Drug Type: Small Molecule
October 29, 2024
Pfizer
Negative Outlook
New York, NY
50,001+ employees
Albert Bourla, chairman and chief executive officer:
“Clearly, IRA overall is negative for innovation and does not promote a spirit that people could provide investments, but there are also some good things about it. So clearly, I wouldn’t like to see that the out-of-pocket that next year will be $167 per month for all your medicines for seniors.
“That, we want to be maintained. But this forced price setting is not a negotiation and also the penalty deal between — are things that needs to change.”
Disease Area: Multiple, Oncology
Drug Type: Biologic, Small Molecule
October 25, 2024
Sanofi
Negative Outlook
Paris, France
50,001+ employees
Brian Foard — Global Business Unit Head, Specialty Care:
“I think from an environment standpoint, the Inflation Reduction Act, there’s a couple of things in there. And as we’ve said before, our position is, it’s not really good for innovation just in general, the Inflation Reduction Act.”
Disease Area: Multiple, Neurological Diseases, Oncology
Drug Type: Biologic, Small Molecule
August 2, 2024
Vir Biotechnology
Discontinued Research, Layoffs
San Francisco, CA
201-500 employees
“As part of its second-quarter business results, Vir revealed that it will no longer be continuing its work in COVID-19 and influenza, while pulling the plug on its T-cell-based viral vector platform. Instead, the biotech will restrict its virology business to its hepatitis B and D programs, allowing it to focus only on the “highest near-term value opportunities.”
“Under Vir’s strategic overhaul, the biotech will lay off 25% of its workforce, eliminating approximately 140 roles across its operations.”
“Vir now expects to close out the year with around 435 employees, which is some 200 employees fewer from its peak headcount in mid-2023.”
3 Discontinued Research Programs: COVID-19, influenza, and T-cell-based viral vector platform research programs.
Disease Area: Antiviral, Multiple, Oncology
Drug Type: Biologic, Small Molecule
June 2, 2024
Eli Lilly & Company
Negative Outlook
Indianapolis, IN
10,001-50,000 employees
“Specifically, Ricks referred to the IRA’s nine-year restriction on market exclusivity before government price-setting for small-molecule drugs as “terminating ideas before they have time to even grow roots.”
“I think that we’re going to miss the next Keytruda. And that’s why we’re raising the points that we are,” Ricks stressed.”
Disease Area: Oncology
Drug Type: Small Molecule
