Biotech Firms Make Job Cuts

Human Genome Sciences will eliminate 150 jobs, or about 14% of its workforce, to better address its drug R&D and business needs. The cutbacks will affect manufacturing, R&D, and administrative areas. By the end of this quarter, Xoma will lay off 34% of its staff, or 84 positions, to focus on its lead product, gevokizumab. Most of the reductions stem from Xoma’s decision to outsource late-stage and commercial manufacturing and some research. The drug delivery firm SkyePharma is looking to cut about 20% of the 101 employees it has in Muttenz, Switzerland. The company will lease lab space to Aenova, which already leases SkyePharma’s drug product manufacturing site in France.