Biopharma companies have announced additional layoffs and restructurings in the past few weeks, after more than 7,800 job cuts were reported by BioWorld this year through late April. Through mid-May, total layoffs in the biopharma sector have increased to 9,848.
After investing $24 billion in three major acquisitions earlier this year, Bristol Myers Squibb Co. said April 25 it would cut 2,200 employees and discontinue 12 programs in an effort to save $1.5 billion and put the company on track for growth by the end of the decade. The number of jobs lost represent 28% of all biopharma jobs lost so far in 2024 – 7,834, as announced by 82 companies. There were 17,424 jobs lost at 185 companies in 2023 and 18,500 jobs lost at 123 companies in 2022, according to BioWorld data.
Xilio Therapeutics Inc. retreated with its lead oncology IL-2 drug, XTX-202, after phase II data indicated stable disease was the best response, prompting the company to reprioritize its pipeline and cut its workforce by 21% – but investors focused more on a $647.5 million IL-12 program deal the company signed with Gilead Sciences Inc., as well as an $11.3 million private placement financing.
Despite what appears to be a recovering public financing market for the biopharma industry, with about $20 billion raised so far through follow-on offerings in the first two months of 2024, emerging companies remain in that precarious position between dwindling cash and their next milestone inflection points.
Allakos Inc. terminated all development of its lead drug, anti-Siglec-8 antibody lirentelimab (AK-002), and is cutting its workforce in half, following phase II failures for atopic dermatitis and chronic spontaneous urticaria. The San Carlos, Calif.-based company will now focus on phase I trials for anti-Siglec-6 antibody AK-006 as part of a restructuring that stretches the runway into mid-2026. Shares (NASDAQ:ALLK) sank by 60.2%, down $1.80, to close at $1.19 on Jan. 16.
More than 17,000 jobs losses were announced by 206 biopharma companies in 2023, down about 7% from the more than 18,400 workforce reductions attributed to biopharma last year. All told, there were 17,169 workforce reductions in 2023, not including undisclosed numbers.
Sage Therapeutics Inc. is reducing its workforce by 40% and pausing its earlier-stage programs, just a few weeks after receiving mixed news of both a U.S. FDA approval and a complete response letter for its depression drug Zurzuvae (zuranolone). The move offers the Cambridge, Mass.-based company an annualized net savings of approximately $240 million, 60% of which is related to R&D, and will extend its runway into 2026.
Cyteir Therapeutics Inc. is leading a pack of companies that have taken a hard look at their future and don’t care for what they see. According to BioWorld data, at least 100 biopharma companies have announced restructurings and layoffs this year, resulting in more than 8,400 jobs lost. Other companies either packing it in, restructuring from within or considering new paths include Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc., Bellerophon Therapeutics Inc., Calithera Biosciences Inc. and Spexis AG.
In February, Viewray Inc. said it expected to post 25% to 40% revenue growth this year. By April, the company said delays in installations would cut growth to 0% to 15% and it announced it was pursuing strategic alternatives with Goldman Sachs. Less than a month later, on May 10, the company withdrew its guidance entirely citing “the current market conditions and ongoing strategic process.”
