Biotech Replimune Triples Woburn Layoffs

Replimune is cutting 223 jobs in Woburn and Framingham after the Food and Drug Administration rejected its melanoma drug again on April 10. (replimune.com) (boston.com) Massachusetts WARN filings show 63 Woburn layoffs dated April 13, then updated notices on April 17 listing 81 more cuts in Woburn and 80 in Framingham. The layoffs are scheduled between April 13 and April 24. (mass.gov) The company told Fierce Biotech the added 161 cuts were “a direct result” of the Food and Drug Administration action. Replimune said the first 63 jobs came from its commercial organization, while the later reductions reached across the company, including manufacturing. (fiercebiotech.com) RP1 is an experimental cancer treatment that uses a modified virus to attack tumors and help the immune system recognize them. Replimune sought approval for RP1 with Bristol Myers Squibb’s nivolumab for advanced melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. (replimune.com) (boston.com) The Food and Drug Administration said the application still did not provide enough evidence that RP1 works. Fierce Biotech reported reviewers wrote that the trial was not “adequate and well-controlled” and the data were insufficient to show effectiveness. (fiercebiotech.com) Replimune publicly disputed that decision. Chief executive Sushil Patel said the agency used a new review team on the resubmission and faulted what he called “inconsistent communication” in the approval process. (replimune.com) The scale of the cuts changed fast. Boston.com reported Replimune had 479 employees as of March 31, 2025, so the 223 layoffs amount to about half the workforce, while Fierce Biotech said the company expects to retain 40% of staff after both rounds are complete. (boston.com) (fiercebiotech.com) Replimune said it is continuing operations despite the retrenchment. The company told Fierce Biotech it is still advancing RP2 in a phase 2/3 trial for metastatic uveal melanoma and a phase 2 study in hepatocellular carcinoma. (fiercebiotech.com) For Woburn, the filings add another biotech downsizing to a year that already included a 71-job WARN notice from Boston Metal in March. Replimune’s case is the sharper blow because the losses came in two waves within one week of the federal rejection. (mass.gov) The immediate next step is smaller: Replimune says it will keep operating with a reduced staff while RP1 remains blocked and the April layoffs take effect. (fiercebiotech.com)