Novartis and regional biotech cuts
Novartis plans 550 job cuts at a Swiss facility even as it invests in RNA production, and at least one Boston‑area biotech has vacated two leases after layoffs. Those moves show firms can shrink some operations while reinvesting in other capabilities ((pharmexec.com), NBC Boston).
Novartis is cutting 550 jobs at a Swiss plant while a Boston-area biotech is giving up two lab leases after layoffs. (pharmexec.com) (sec.gov) Novartis said on November 25, 2025 that it plans to eliminate about 550 positions at its Stein site near Basel by the end of 2027. The company said it will stop making tablets and capsules there and end sterile-drug packaging at the site. (novartis.com) (swissinfo.ch) At the same time, Novartis said it will invest more than $100 million across Swiss manufacturing, including $80 million at Schweizerhalle for small interfering ribonucleic acid, or small interfering RNA, production and $26 million in Stein for sterile dosage automation. The Schweizerhalle expansion is expected to add 80 jobs by the end of 2028. (novartis.com) (pharmexec.com) Small interfering RNA drugs work by silencing a disease-causing genetic message before a cell can use it to make a harmful protein. Novartis is shifting capacity toward that kind of newer manufacturing even as it shrinks older pill and packaging lines. (pharmexec.com) (fiercepharma.com) In Greater Boston, Lyra Therapeutics disclosed on April 10, 2026 that it had agreed to terminate leases in Watertown and Waltham after a January restructuring. The two exits cover about 22,343 square feet at 480 Arsenal Way in Watertown and about 40,582 square feet at 65 Hayden Avenue in Waltham. (sec.gov) (nbcboston.com) Lyra said on January 9, 2026 that it was suspending development of LYR-210, its lead treatment candidate for chronic rhinosinusitis, and cutting substantially all remaining employees effective January 12. The company said the plan was meant to preserve capital while it explored strategic alternatives. (sec.gov) (fiercebiotech.com) The lease exits will cost Lyra roughly $2.5 million in fees, plus forfeited security deposits, according to the filing. The Watertown lease now ends no later than May 31, 2026, and the Waltham lease ends no later than April 30, 2026. (sec.gov) (hoodline.com) The backdrop is a biotech market that is still shedding jobs in 2026 after a long stretch of weak fundraising, program failures and cost cutting. Fierce Biotech’s layoff tracker logged a steady flow of restructurings this year, including Takeda’s plan to cut 634 United States jobs and Bicycle Therapeutics’ 30% workforce reduction. (fiercebiotech.com) (nbcboston.com) Novartis is making a different kind of cut: fewer jobs in one Swiss operation, more money for a newer drug-making platform in another. Lyra’s filings show the sharper version of the same pressure, where layoffs are followed by empty labs and early lease terminations. (novartis.com) (sec.gov)
