In yet another round of Big Pharma layoffs in New Jersey, Johnson & Johnson is dismissing 56 employees at its corporate headquarters in New Brunswick, according (PDF) to a state Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN).
The layoffs, which will be effective Aug. 21, come after the company reduced its headcount at its New Brunswick facility by 231 in the fall of 2024. The new round is the first set of terminations J&J has executed in the state this year.
A J&J spokesperson said the layoffs are related to the company's planned divestiture of its orthopedics business from its MedTech sector, which it revealed in October of last year.
"As part of our ongoing efforts to operate efficiently and support long-term growth, we continuously evaluate our cost structure and organizational design," a J&J spokesperson said in an email. "As we progress our orthopedics separation, we are focused on addressing stranded costs and identifying opportunities to further improve operating margins—helping enable continued investment in innovation for patients."
Job cuts by drugmakers in New Jersey have been common in recent months. Last week, Novartis slashed its staff by 76 in its third round of layoffs in as many months at its U.S. headquarters in East Hanover. In its previous two rounds, Novartis handed out pink slips to 174 people at the same site.
Additionally, in two rounds of reductions this year at its facilities in Lawrenceville, Bristol Myers Squibb has downsized its staff by 453.
The cuts by Novartis and BMS are part of long-term restructuring efforts. In 2022, Novartis revealed a plan to cut 8,000 jobs. In March of last year, it laid off 427 at its U.S. headquarters. BMS has reduced its staff by more than 1,700 since the start of 2025 to save more than $2 billion through 2027.
Another New Jersey biopharma that made cuts earlier this month was Amicus Therapeutics, which slashed its staff by 58. The layoffs came shortly after the company was bought out by BioMarin for $4.8 billion.