Akcea to axe 10% of workforce in wake of Waylivra rejection

10 September 2018

USA-based pharma firm Akcea Therapeutics (Nasdaq: AKCA) has said it will slash around 10% of its workforce in order to “better align with the immediate needs of its business”.

Shares in the firm are down almost 4% following the announcement that the US Food and Drug Administration had decided to reject its drug Waylivra (volanesorsen) as a treatment for the rare condition familial chylomicronaemia syndrome (FCS).

Akcea, which currently employs around 300 people, said it expected to book charges of up to $2.5 million in its third quarter financial statement.

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