Avanir Pharmaceuticals Inc. will lay off 73 employees by the end of January from its US work force as part of a restructuring. We’re told the majority will be outside of its Aliso Viejo headquarters.
The pharmaceutical company employs 192 in OC and 680 companywide, according to the Business Journal’s list of drug makers published in September. Employee headcounts were as of July. The layoffs here would reduce the local workforce by approximately 1-2%.
The company said in an email “the restructuring is to streamline our current approach to sales and better position Avanir to pursue its long-term mission.”
Avanir develops pharmaceuticals for the central nervous system (CNS). Its lead commercial product is Nuedexta which treats PBA, uncontrollable laughing or crying. Its lead drug candidate AVP-786 is in a phase three trial for agitation in Alzheimer’s disease, as well as phase two trials for residual schizophrenia and disinhibition in dementia.
