In the midst of ongoing workforce reductions impacting the biotech sector, even prominent players like Bristol Myers Squibb, Emergent BioSolutions, and now Thermo Fisher Scientific are feeling the pinch. Thermo Fisher has unveiled plans to initiate significant job cuts, affecting 205 employees across two sites in Alachua, Florida. The layoffs, slated to take effect between October 9 and the end of the following March, have been documented in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification alert from the state.
Although Thermo Fisher is yet to provide a formal statement in response to inquiries, it’s worth noting that the company no longer features the Alachua site on its official website. An archived webpage, however, reveals the facility’s involvement in process and analytical development for early clinical trials, along with commercial-scale contract manufacturing capabilities for advanced therapies.
At the heart of the Alachua site’s operations is the development of analytics and processes for major viral gene transfer vector systems, encompassing platforms like AAV, adenoviral, herpesviral, lentiviral, and retroviral. This 95,000-square-foot establishment also shoulders quality control testing and manufacturing duties in support of clinical trials for cell and gene therapies.
Despite the absence of specific details on the types of roles affected or the underlying rationale, Thermo Fisher’s move aligns with a broader trend in the life sciences sector. Other major players, including Bristol Myers Squibb and Emergent BioSolutions, have also been compelled to trim their workforces this summer.
Bristol Myers Squibb, for instance, has recently disclosed a total of 108 layoffs in New Jersey, a follow-up to an earlier reduction of 48 jobs in the state back in April. On a parallel note, Emergent BioSolutions is shedding approximately 400 positions across its operational domains. The company has articulated a strategic shift away from contract manufacturing, with renewed emphasis on its core products such as medical countermeasures and Narcan.
Thermo Fisher’s downsizing efforts in Florida echo previous job cuts the company executed in New Jersey, where it eliminated 113 positions earlier this year. Amidst the evolving landscape of the life sciences industry, these workforce adjustments serve as indicators of the sector’s dynamic challenges and adaptations.
