Acer Therapeutics, a rare-disease drugmaker, has cut 60 percent of its workforce two weeks after the FDA refused to approve its lead drug candidate Edsivo for a rare connective tissue disorder.
The layoffs, part of a restructuring effort that also includes halting pre-commercial activities for Edsivo, are expected to help Acer continue to operate through 2020.
The head count was reduced from 48 employees to 19 employees.
"The company estimates that it will record a one-time severance-related charge of approximately $1.5 million associated with the workforce reduction in the second quarter of 2019," Acer said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.