Takeda plans to let go another 220 staffers in Massachusetts, where it was the largest biopharma in 2023 with 6,290 workers.
The workforce reduction impacts 189 employees in Cambridge and 31 in Lexington. It comes a month after the Japan-based pharma giant said it would lay off 641 workers in the state. The new downsizing was outlined in a WARN notice for the week ending June 28.
A Takeda spokesperson said in an emailed statement the company is prioritizing three main areas: “increasing organizational agility, improving procurement savings, and strengthening how we leverage data, digital and technology across Takeda.”
“As we continue to work to bring these initiatives to fruition, difficult choices will also be required, and some employees will be impacted as a result,” the spokesperson said. “We are working … diligently to limit the amount of impact for our employees as much as possible as we evolve to meet the organization’s needs moving forward, which will include adding new roles with specific skillsets to best address these needs.”
Like some pharma peers, Takeda is undergoing a broad restructuring that includes pipeline pruning and workforce changes. It recently shuttered a research center in San Diego. The drugmaker said in May it expects $898 million in one-time restructuring costs.
The spokesperson also said Takeda is “confident” that the company will “remain the largest life sciences employer” in Massachusetts.