By December, the total number of layoffs in the pharmaceutical industry was up 5.7 percent from 2018.
Here is a timeline of Becker's Hospital Review's coverage of significant job cuts from pharmaceutical companies in 2019:
Jan. 10 AstraZeneca to close 2 Colorado sites, lay off 210 employees
Pharma giant AstraZeneca shut down its operations in two Colorado cities, resulting in 210 employees losing their jobs.
Jan. 10 Pfizer to lay off 1,700 employees in India, close 2 plants
Pfizer laid 1,700 employees and ceased manufacturing at two plants in India.
Jan. 11 Eli Lilly to cut 250 jobs in France
Drug giant Eli Lilly cut 250 jobs at its factory in Eastern France.
Jan. 16 Pfizer closes 5 biosimilar R&D programs, sheds 150 jobs
Pfizer ended five preclinical programs in its biosimilar research and development unit, which resulted in 150 employees losing their jobs.
Jan. 16 AmerisourceBergen cuts half its workforce at Tennessee compounding plant
Pharmedium, AmerisourceBergen's troubled compounding unit, laid off 225 workers at its Memphis, Tenn., facility.
Feb. 22 Bayer to cut 194 jobs in Indiana
Pharma giant Bayer shut down operations at its last facility in Mishawaka, Ind., resulting in 194 employees losing their jobs.
March 12 Lupin Pharmaceuticals cuts 60 jobs, blames US generic market
Citing headwinds in the U.S. generic drug market, Lupin Pharmaceuticals laid off more than 60 employees from its research and development team.
March 27 AstraZeneca to cut 94 jobs in UK
AstraZeneca will lay off 94 workers from its campus in the United Kingdom by 2020.
March 29 AbbVie to cut 178 jobs in California
North Chicago, Ill.-based AbbVie laid off 178 workers from its Stemcentrx unit, which the drugmaker acquired for $5.8 billion three years ago.
April 10 4,500 Bayer job cuts will be in Germany
Bayer AG, which previously announced its intent to cut 12,000 positions worldwide, said it would eliminate about 4,500 of those positions in its home market of Germany.
April 10 Gilead to lay off 20% of sales force after losing patent protection
After two of Gilead Science's lucrative, older drugs lost patent protection, the drugmaker laid off about 20 percent of its sales team.
May 29 J&J to cut 61 jobs in New Jersey
Johnson & Johnson cut 61 jobs at its site in New Brunswick, N.J.
June 20 Sanofi to cut 466 jobs
Global pharmaceutical company Sanofi cut 466 jobs in France and Germany as a way to reorganize its research and development operations.
June 27 Takeda to close Illinois headquarters, begin layoffs Aug. 30
Takeda Pharmaceuticals said it will close its headquarters in Deerfield, Ill. by Dec. 31, consolidating its U.S. operations to a location near Boston.
July 8 Acer Therapeutics cuts 60% of staff
Acer Therapeutics, a rare-disease drugmaker, 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.
July 18 Inovio cuts 80 jobs, ends some R&D projects
Inovio Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company in Plymouth Meeting, Pa., cut its workforce by 28 percent and axed several early-stage research and development programs to reduce annual expenses.
July 26 Merck to cut 150 jobs in North Carolina
Merck said it would lay off 150 full-time employees in Durham, N.C., as it moves production of varicella, the active ingredient used in chickenpox and shingles vaccines, outside the state.
Oct. 18 J&J to lay off 297 Pennsylvania employees
Johnson & Johnson laid off 297 employees at its facility in Wayne, Pa.
Oct. 18 Merck to cut 500 US jobs
Citing a need to shift resources to different research and development projects, Merck said it will eliminate 500 U.S. jobs by Jan. 3.
Oct. 23 Alkermes to cut 160 jobs after $54M loss
Alkermes, an Irish drugmaker with operations in the U.S., said it would cut 160 jobs to lower expenses after losing $54 million.
Oct. 31 Amgen exits neuroscience research, cuts 180 US jobs
Amgen said it is ending most of its neuroscience research, which will result in 180 employees losing their jobs.
Nov. 12 Amgen cuts 25% of staff at Kendall Square location
Amgen laid off a quarter of its staff in Cambridge, Mass., and halted all neuroscience research.
Nov. 20 Amgen to cut 172 more jobs
Amgen cut 172 more jobs across the country, including some from its headquarters in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
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