Takeda is cutting 240 jobs in the United States. The Japanese pharmaceutical company announced a new round of layoffs affecting employees in its neuroscience sales unit. The workers are remote but assigned to the company’s headquarters in Cambridge.
A Takeda spokesperson explained the decision is intended to help “navigate the upcoming loss of exclusivity for Trintellix.” The U.S. patent for the depression drug, first approved by the FDA in 2013, expires in December of this year.
Takeda clarified that some employees have been offered redeployment opportunities to other positions. The company stated it is “reprioritizing resources to prepare for multiple potential new medication launches in the United States, which will create over 400 new commercial field roles.” “We are providing impacted employees with transition resources and assistance in identifying other opportunities within Takeda, including new roles,” the spokesperson added.
In May 2024, Takeda introduced an “efficiency program” designed to counter declining sales of its ADHD drug Vyvanse and return to profit growth. Several weeks later, the company announced plans to cut 640 jobs at two sites in Massachusetts over ten months. At the same time, Takeda halted operations at a research center in San Diego, resulting in 320 job losses. Less than four months ago, Takeda laid off approximately 140 employees in Massachusetts as part of a plan to exit the cell therapy arena.
