The Massachusetts research site for Merck KGaA’s North American division, EMD Serono, is handing pink slips to 20 staffers, Fierce has learned.
“In order to best support EMD Serono’s R&D approach and future needs, following careful review and consideration, the company has made the difficult decision to reduce a small number of roles at its Billerica site,” a company spokesperson confirmed to Fierce.
“We aim to share additional details on our R&D approach in the coming months,” the spokesperson added.
The layoffs will go into effect in the second half of October, according to a filing with the state labor department.
The decision follows the previous revelation that EMD Serono is now enforcing its onsite work requirements at the Billerica site, a move that could see 70 of the location’s 280 employees laid off should they choose not to relocate.
Details on the number of employees who have chosen not to relocate are not yet available, the spokesperson told Fierce.
Billerica is home to the EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, and it isn’t far from the German drugmaker’s U.S. headquarters in the biotech hub of Boston’s Seaport district.
Merck has been downsizing its American R&D organization in recent years as it pivots to a focus on external innovation instead. The Billerica site once bustled with around 500 employees, before a 2023 layoff round sent about a quarter of staffers heading for the door.
The company’s hunt for external partnerships has recently borne fruit, with Merck pledging $50 million to a new cardio biotech that it can acquire down the line and pairing up with Israeli biotech Remepy to develop rare tumor drugs.