The effects of the IRA on our business and the healthcare industry in general is not yet known.
All entries for: Biologic
April 15, 2026
Astellas Pharma/Universal Cells
Layoffs
Chuo-Ku, Tokyo
10,000+ employees
Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma will close the Seattle office of Universal Cells, its wholly owned subsidiary that creates engineered, allogeneic stem cells, a move that will affect 50 employees. A handful of affected staffers’ positions will be moved to the pharma’s other research locations in South San Francisco, California, and Westborough, Massachusetts, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice.
While the 50 employees are slated for layoffs, those who take internal transfer opportunities or roles with another Astellas corporate affiliate prior to their separation date won’t be let go as part of the cuts, according to the notice. The workforce reduction will be effective in multiple waves starting July 1, 2026, and ending April 1, 2028.
A company spokesperson told BioSpace in an emailed statement that the pharma is consolidating cell and gene therapy and oncology research activities in Seattle into its South San Francisco and Westborough sites.
Disease Area: Other
Drug Type: Biologic, Small Molecule
April 7, 2026
NovaBridge Biosciences
Negative Outlook
Rockville, MD
1-50 employees
Although full economic effect of the IRA on our business and the pharmaceutical industry in general is unknown at this time, it will likely have a significant impact on the pharmaceutical industry and the pricing of our products and product candidates.
Disease Area: Oncology, Rare Diseases
Drug Type: Biologic
April 6, 2026
BioNTech
Layoffs
Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate
1,000-5,000 employees
BioNTech is closing a Singapore production plant less than four years after buying the site from Novartis to supply mRNA vaccines and therapies in the Asia-Pacific region. Last week, the Germany-based company told The Straits Times that the planned Singapore site will close by February 2027. BioNTech employs 85 people at the plant.
The company, which framed the shuttering as part of efforts to align capacity with its pipeline and long-term strategic direction, also had layoffs last year. BioNTech let go of 63 employees in August in connection with closing its cell therapy facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Around the same time, news broke that it would lay off 90 employees across its U.S. footprint, including 32 people at its Gaithersburg office and lab space, effective in September 2025, and 58 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Disease Area: Oncology
Drug Type: Biologic
April 3, 2026
Biovectra
Layoffs
Charlottetown , PE
501-1,000 employees
Contract development and manufacturing organization Biovectra, a wholly owned subsidiary of Agilent Technologies, is cutting staff at its Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, Canada, locations, CBC/Radio-Canada reported March 27.
Agilent told the media outlet the company is making targeted workforce adjustments that will affect less than 45 employees. The adjustments “reflect current market conditions while also enabling a more streamlined structure with clearer accountability and faster decision-making,” according to the statement.
Agilent in 2024 acquired Biovectra, which is based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, for $925 million. The deal boosted Agilent’s capabilities in producing biologics and oligonucleotide therapies.
Disease Area: Other
Drug Type: Biologic, Small Molecule
April 1, 2026
Adagene Inc.
Neutral Outlook
Suzhou Industrial Park, Jiangsu Province
201-500 employees
On August 16, 2022, the former President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act that includes a provision that is intended to lower certain prescription drug costs under Medicare.
Disease Area: Oncology
Drug Type: Biologic
April 1, 2026
Genenta Science S.p.A.
Neutral Outlook
Milan, Lombardy
51-200 employees
Thus, while it is unclear how the IRA will be fully implemented, it will likely have a significant impact on the biopharmaceutical industry and the pricing of prescription drug products.
Disease Area: Oncology
Drug Type: Biologic
April 1, 2026
Novo Nordisk
Layoffs
Bagsværd
10,000+ employees
Novo Nordisk will part ways with around 400 employees at its manufacturing site in Bloomington, Indiana, as part of a broader restructuring initiative, Fierce Pharma revealed in a March 31 report, confirming the news with a company spokesperson.
The layoffs will take effect “at the beginning of May,” the spokesperson added, noting that after the cuts, the production plant will be down to approximately 1,400 employees.
The Bloomington facility came to Novo as part of a larger deal by the pharma’s parent company, Novo Holdings, to acquire the CDMO giant Catalent in early 2024 for $16.5 billion. The site, however, has since become a source of headache for Novo, with the FDA flagging persistent contaminations and infestations. These violations have resulted in the rejection of several drugs, including from Incyte, Scholar Rock and Regeneron.
Novo announced a sweeping reorganization effort in September 2025, involving 9,000 layoffs across its global operations. Headcount reduction cycles that followed in the U.S. include one affecting 263 people in New Jersey late last year and another impacting 47 employees in North Carolina in October 2025.
Disease Area: Cardiovascular, Endocrinology, Metabolic Diseases, Multiple
Drug Type: Biologic, Small Molecule