Amgen to lay off 300 U.S. workers
Technology layoffs are now hitting the healthcare sector, as Amgen will be laying off 300 people in the United States, the company announced on Jan. 30.
The Thousand Oaks-based biotechnology giant said that it is making organizational changes “mainly in our commercial team,” the company’s statement said.
“We made these changes to better manage against industry headwinds so that we can continue to deliver value for our patients, staff and shareholders. These decisions are never easy, and we are committed to helping those impacted with transitional support,” the statement read.
According to Amgen, it employs over 23,000 people in over 50 countries. The 300 cuts represent about 1.2% of its workforce.
This is Amgen’s first massive layoffs in the U.S. since it announced back in 2021 that it would be cutting approximately 500 workers. Less than 20% of those layoffs were located in the Thousand Oaks headquarters.
No comment has been made on if the Thousand Oaks office would be downsizing. More than 5,000 people work in the Thousand Oaks headquarters.
The biotechnology layoffs have been largely tracked by Fierce Biotech, which found that last year, 119 total job cuts were made among biotech companies, with 23 companies in November alone announcing cuts.
According to Fierce, Amgen is the 13th company to announce layoffs in the first month of 2023.
Amgen is also in the middle of a huge acquisition.
The company announced on Dec. 12 that it would be purchasing Horizon Therapeutics for $27 billion, its largest acquisition in company history.
Amgen beat out competition from Sanofi and Johnson and Johnson. The deal could close in the first half of 2023, pending U.S. and E.U. approvals, and will be made entirely in cash, Amgen said.
Amgen will be announcing its fourth quarter and full-year results for the fiscal year 2022 on Jan. 31.
On Jan. 30, company shares closed down less than 1% with the price at $251.59.
