Takeda has begun workforce reductions in the U.S. as the company aims to save more than 200 billion Japanese yen ($1.26 billion) in annual costs.
About 634 roles assigned to the company’s U.S. headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, are being affected, according to a WARN notice (PDF) filed with the state. These include 247 positions currently located in the Bay State and 387 in other states.
The move marks the first disclosure of major job reductions after Takeda outlined the $1.26 billion, multiyear restructuring program to streamline operations and increase efficiency on March 25.
In the WARN notice, filed on the same day, Takeda said employee notifications would begin that day, but the changes would not take effect until July 2026, after new CEO Julie Kim officially takes the helm. Some changes will take place next year, “based on business needs and the timing of work winding down,” the company said.
The total number of job reductions “may evolve as employees pursue and accept redeployment opportunities” within the company, Takeda said in the WARN notice.
“We are committed to supporting employees in impacted roles in multiple ways, including helping identify potential opportunities within Takeda and offering transition resources,” a Takeda spokesperson said in a statement to Fierce Pharma.
Takeda has around 700 open roles, including 300 in Massachusetts, and the company will prioritize internal candidates for new roles, the spokesperson said.
Savings from the overhaul will be funneled to upcoming launches and R&D investments. Takeda expects to add more roles in the coming months as it prepares for those launches, the spokesperson added.
The latest efficiency measures followed another restructuring plan that Takeda rolled out in 2024 amid the loss of market exclusivity for its attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder blockbuster Vyvanse. By reducing organizational layers and fine-tuning operating models, the Japanese drugmaker said it aimed to boost its core operating profit margin above 30%.
Because of that initiative, Takeda recorded 128 billion yen ($800 million) in restructuring costs in the fiscal year ended in March 2025, and its headcount dwindled by more than 1,800 employees (3.7%).
Layoffs continued after that. In October, Takeda ditched efforts in the cell therapy field, impacting 137 roles at its Massachusetts R&D site. Additionally, as the aging antidepressant Trintellix nears patent expiration, Takeda this year decided to cut 243 field-based positions in its U.S. neuroscience business unit.
In addition to headcount rejigs, Takeda is also consolidating its office footprint in Massachusetts, as a new R&D facility is on track to open this year.
The scale of Takeda’s reductions underscores the broader cooling trend currently hitting the largest biopharma companies. Among the 17 drugmakers that each generated at least $20 billion in 2025 revenue, headcount reductions totaled about 22,500 last year, a recent Fierce Pharma analysis found. Takeda’s Trintellix is part of a massive $300 billion patent cliff that the entire biopharma industry is bracing for between 2025 and 2030.
Editor's Note: The story has been updated with a statement from Takeda.