ZymoGenetics is cutting all of its immunology work along with 15 percent of its jobs, or 52 positions. That's in addition to the 161 jobs the developer cut in April when it decided to bow out of the cancer research business. All ongoing immunology discovery research programs will be discontinued; however, the company will keep the research capabilities necessary to support the ongoing development programs for current product candidates.
According to the regulatory filing, cutting new immunology research will allow the developer to focus on its sole marketed product, Recothrom Thrombin, a treatment for surgical bleeding. It will also give ZymoGenetics more resources for developing and commercializing its pipeline of clinical and preclinical product candidates. In a statement emailed to Xconomy, a spokesperson said that the company has abandoned the strategy of discovering and licensing out many early-stage candidates. Now it will focus on fewer programs that it will advance to later stages. The spokesperson added that the company is focusing on drug candidates that have the most potential over the next three to four years.
ZymoGenetics's reductions will result in an annual expense savings of $8 million to $10 million, in addition to the estimated $30 million in savings generated by the April restructuring. This round of layoffs leaves the developer with about 300 employees, according to Xconomy.
- get the filing
- here's the Reuters report
- read the article from Xconomy