MARCH 17, 2023 — CONFIRMS 450 LAYOFFS
In a second round of layoffs in 2023, the company has announced its intentions to lay off 450 employees or less than 5% of the roles in the Thousand Oaks, California office.
According to a company spokesperson, "We made these changes to realign our expense base in the face of intensifying pressure on drug prices and high levels of inflation. We know this is a challenging time for each person impacted. We will support staff leaving Amgen by offering transition services and severance, ensuring they are treated with respect for their contributions.”
JANUARY 30, 2023 — CONFIRMS 300 LAYOFFS
The company has confirmed that it let go of about 300 U.S. employees or about 1.2% of its total workforce, citing recent organizational changes to its commercial team.
According to a company spokesperson, "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."
JULY 12, 2022 — 500 LAYOFFS
Amgen has confirmed its intention to lay off 500 employees across its workforce, primarily among the U.S. sales force, as the company “pivots to upcoming drug launches and adopts pandemic-time digital marketing tools for the long run.”
According to a company spokesperson, "We made these changes to better enable Amgen to make additional investments we believe are needed to take advantage of patient-focused opportunities, including launching new products, and investing in R&D," the company said in an emailed statement. "These decisions are never easy, and we are committed to helping those impacted with transitional support."
FEBRUARY 9, 2021 — 500 LAYOFFS, INCLUDING 100 IN THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA
The company announced that approximately 500 workers would be laid off, many from Amgen’s field-based domestic sales force, including 100 from Amgen’s Thousand Oaks, California headquarters. The layoffs will commence on April 2, 2021.
According to a company spokesperson, “We made these changes to better enable Amgen to make additional investments we believe are needed to take advantage of patient-focused opportunities, including launching new products and investing in R&D. These decisions are never easy, and we are committed to helping those impacted with transitional support.”
NOVEMBER 13, 2019 — AMGEN LAYING OFF 149 EMPLOYEES IN ITS CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS FACILITY
The company has announced that it will be halting its work in neuroscience research after the company and its partner Novartis decided to halt work on its Alzheimer’s therapeutics earlier in the year. Much of this work is done in the company’s Kendall Square facility.
According to a company spokesperson, "We made the difficult decision to end our research in neuroscience, which is largely based in Cambridge. We recognize that Cambridge is a vibrant life sciences community that enables access to external innovation and top talent. The site remains a center of excellence for operations, with a significant process development presence dedicated to advancing the pipeline and developing next-generation technologies.
company halting its neuroscience research. It and partner Novartis halted work on two Alzheimer's disease treatments earlier this year. The company will be consolidating the remainder of its U.S.-based research work at its Thousand Oaks, California headquarters and in its San Francisco, California offices. The layoffs do not affect the process control people in the Cambridge office.”
NOVEMBER 7, 2017 — Original post…
No stranger to restructuring, Thousand Oaks (California) pharmaceutical powerhouse Amgen is restructuring to meet the demands of competition and activist investors. Hundreds of employees are involved; some will be laid-off, transferred, or have the primary responsibilities realigned with the latest corporate goals.
Some employees will be offered the opportunity to relocate to other Amgen facilities. The most prominent of one which is located in Tampa, Florida, where the company benefits from a deep labor pool, reduced costs of living, and the fact that there are no personal state income taxes in Florida – unlike the increasingly heavy taxes in California.
Amgen is especially vulnerable to competition from “bio-similar” pharmaceuticals as well as restructuring pressures from hedge-funds, investor activists, and institutional investors.
Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?
