Cambridge-Based Pharma Company Announces More Layoffs

CAMBRIDGE, MA — Takeda, a Japanese pharmaceutical company with its US operations headquartered in Cambridge, announced additional layoffs Friday — and job cuts might continue into March, according to multiple reports.

The company is axing 45 jobs at its Cambridge location and 34 in Lexington, according to a notice to the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce.

The layoffs announcement is the third this year by Takeda. The first, which occurred in May, affected 641 employees, and in June, more than 200 additional jobs were cut. By the end of downsizing next year, the company could be down nearly 1,000 employees, the Boston Business Journal reported.

Takeda said in a statement that the layoffs are due to a multi-year efficacy program that will turn its focus to its 'late-stage pharmaceutical pipeline' and its growth portfolio of patient therapies to ensure the company is "best positioned for growth," according to Boston.com.

Its website says that Takeda is among the top 14 largest pharmaceutical companies in the United States with more than 18,000 U.S. employees. The company focuses on oncology, rare diseases, neuroscience, and gastroenterology.