Washington State
While life sciences employment was down 0.3% nationally in 2024, it rose 1.9% in Washington, according to a new Life Science Washington report. The association’s CEO discusses the latest findings and how the state’s job market looks this year.
The trend of fewer companies letting employees go, which began in the fourth quarter of last year, has continued. However, more employees were on the chopping block in Q1 2026 than in Q1 2025, due mainly to one company’s cuts.
By closing the Universal Cells Seattle location, Astellas is reportedly consolidating cell therapy, gene therapy and oncology research at its South San Francisco, California, and Westborough, Massachusetts, sites.
In 2025, made or projected biopharma workforce cuts affected about 42,700 employees, according to BioSpace tallies. BioSpace takes a deep dive into which companies and locations were impacted and speaks to experts about what to expect ahead—and why.
This year, Novo Nordisk and Merck announced significant layoffs, with Novo planning to axe about 9,000 employees and Merck projecting it could let go of roughly 6,000. Meanwhile, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis and Pfizer have also made noteworthy cuts.
Washington has had notable life sciences job growth over the past 10 years, according to a Life Science Washington report. The association’s CEO and a biopharma CEO discuss what makes the state stand out, including its talent pool, AI leadership and entrepreneurship support.
BioSpace has revealed its 2025 Hotbed Maps, showcasing nine regional hot spots for life sciences activity.
Former president and CEO of CytoDyn Nader Pourhassan along with Kazem Kazempour, former CEO of the CRO running CytoDyn’s trials, are awaiting sentencing but could face up to 20 years in prison for each count of securities and wire fraud and insider trading.
Gilead’s layoffs include 72 employees at its Seattle location, which will close. Kite will shut down its Philadelphia facility. The layoffs are attributed to aligning resources with long-term strategic goals.
About a year after cutting staff by 29%, Sana Biotechnology will trim its workforce as it increases investment in its type 1 diabetes program and looks to extend its cash runway.
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