Shortly after locking down its $4.8 billion deal for rare disease compatriot Amicus Therapeutics, BioMarin Pharmaceutical is consolidating the workforce tied to the acquired company’s headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey.
Starting in August, 58 roles are being removed at the Amicus HQ in Princeton, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) filing with the state of New Jersey this week. The staff terminations are scheduled (PDF) to conclude around the end of October, according to the layoff notification.
A BioMarin spokesperson confirmed that the layoffs are connected to the buyout in an emailed statement to Fierce.
"With the completion of the acquisition, we will leverage BioMarin’s global scale, commercial reach, and industry-leading manufacturing capabilities to build on Amicus’ legacy and bring its medicines to more people living with Fabry disease and Pompe disease worldwide," the spokesperson explained.
"As with any integration of this scale, we are carefully evaluating how to align our organizations for long-term success," he continued. "This process has resulted in headcount reductions, particularly in areas where there is overlap."
The company expressed its appreciation for Amicus' employees' contributions, noting that BioMarin's focus remains fixed on ensuring continuity for Amicus patients and providing support for employees.
BioMarin did not immediately clarify its plans for the Princeton site or whether layoffs are planned for any other Amicus sites.
Aside from the Princeton location, which Amicus lists on its website as its global headquarters, the company also boasts a research center of excellence in Philadelphia, an international home base in the U.K. and offices in countries such as Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Germany and Spain, among others.
Late last year, BioMarin telegraphed the biggest deal in its history, laying out a $4.8 billion offer for Amicus in a $14.50-per-share deal that gave it access to approved Fabry disease drug Galafold and Pompe disease combination treatment Pombiliti-Opfolda. BioMarin helmsman Alexander Hardy has estimated that both products have the potential to separately reach $1 billion in peak sales.
Moreover, BioMarin has gained access to the promising Amicus asset DMX-200, a potential first-in-class molecule running through the phase 3 gauntlet for the rare and potentially deadly kidney disease focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).
Meanwhile, it’s not uncommon for larger drugmakers to downsize in the wake of major acquisitions, with the trend playing out in recent years across Amgen’s $27.8 billion buyout of Horizon Therapeutics and Novartis’ 2.7-billion-euro takeover of German cancer biotech MorphoSys, to name a few.
A similar story is being written at CAR-T biotech Arcellx, which Gilead Sciences closed on for $7.8 billion late last month.
As part of the cell therapy firm’s integration, Gilead is trimming some 192 jobs between Arcellx sites in Redwood City, California, and Rockville, Maryland, in a move that eliminates the majority of the acquired company’s headcount, which stood at 209 at the end of 2025.