Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. has begun cutting jobs in the United States, aiming to cut costs by more than 200 billion yen ($1.26 billion) annually.
Approximately 634 roles at the company’s U.S. headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, are affected, according to a warning notice (PDF) filed with the state. These include 247 positions currently located in the Bay State and 387 positions located in other states.
The move marks the first major public layoffs since Takeda announced on March 25 the outline of a $1.26 billion, multi-year restructuring program aimed at streamlining operations and improving efficiency.
In a WARN notice filed on the same day, Takeda said it would begin notifying employees that day, but the changes would not take effect until July 2026, when new CEO Julie Kim officially takes over. The company said some changes will be made next year “based on business needs and the timing of a windfall.”
“The total number of layoffs may increase as employees pursue and accept redeployment opportunities” within the company, Takeda said in the warning notice.
At the same time, Takeda has hundreds of open positions and is prioritizing internal candidates to fill those positions, according to the Boston Business Journal.
The latest efficiency measures mark a continuation of Takeda’s turnaround plan set out in 2024 as it loses market exclusivity for its hit attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder drug Vyvanse. The Japanese drugmaker said it aims to increase its core operating margin to more than 30% by cutting organizational layers and tweaking its operating model.
As a result of this initiative, Takeda recorded restructuring costs of 128 billion yen ($800 million) in the fiscal year ending March 2025, and the number of employees decreased by more than 1,800, or 3.7%.
The layoffs continued after that. Takeda Pharmaceutical in October abandoned efforts in the cell therapy field, impacting the roles of 137 of its research and development sites in Massachusetts. In addition, Takeda decided to cut 243 field-based positions in its U.S. neurosciences business this year as the patent for its aging antidepressant drug Trintellix approaches.
In addition to job cuts, Takeda is consolidating its Massachusetts office locations with a new research and development facility scheduled to open this year.
The scale of Takeda’s cuts underscores a broader cooling trend currently hitting the biggest biopharmaceutical companies. A recent Fierce Pharma analysis found that of the 17 pharmaceutical companies each with at least $20 billion in revenue in 2025, layoffs totaled about 22,500 jobs last year. Takeda’s Trintellix is part of a massive $300 billion patent cliff that the entire biopharmaceutical industry is poised for between 2025 and 2030.
