As antiviral specialist Enanta Pharmaceuticals endeavors to expand into immunology, the company has decided to lay off 37 employees, Fierce has learned.
“As we approached our fiscal year end, we conducted a careful evaluation of the resources and capabilities needed to execute against our current priorities,” the company told Fierce in a statement. “As a result, we made the difficult decision to right-size the company across all departments to operate more efficiently.”
Based in Watertown, Massachusetts, Enanta employed 120 full-time workers as of Sept. 30, 2025, according to an annual report filed in January.
“We have the right team in place to continue to deliver on our business goals and remain focused on positioning the company for sustainable progress in the years ahead,” the statement said.
That progress is expected from an ongoing phase 2b trial of zelicapavir, an antiviral against respiratory syncytial virus. The Lotus trial is testing the drug in infants and is set to read out topline data next year. The company also plans to begin a phase 2b/3 trial in high-risk adults by the end of the year.
While zelicapavir has proven successful in an earlier phase 2 pediatric study, the candidate failed a midstage trial in adults last year. Enanta pointed to promising subgroup analyses in that adult study as rationale for continued development.
Enanta is also forging ahead with an earlier-stage immunology pipeline led by an oral KIT inhibitor called EDP-978, currently in phase 1 testing for urticaria. Topline data are expected before the end of the year.
“With a catalyst rich year ahead, we have multiple opportunities to drive shareholder value and bring important treatments to patients in need,” Enanta CEO Jay Luly, Ph.D., said in an August quarterly report.
Enanta brought in $14.4 million in revenue last quarter, all from royalties of the AbbVie-licensed hepatitis C treatment Mavyret/Maviret. The company had $211.5 million on hand at the end of June.