AbbVie to Cut 85 Jobs at California Eye Care Unit

AbbVie (ABBV) is eliminating 85 positions at its Irvine, California campus, with the cuts set to take effect July 20, according to a filing under the state's Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. The layoffs affect the company's eye care business, which operates alongside aesthetics, neurotoxin and neuro-psychiatry functions at the 54-acre, one million square foot site.

The reduction follows 202 job cuts at the same location last summer, which the company attributed to a reorganization of its Allergan Aesthetics unit, and 99 further layoffs in 2022. AbbVie acquired Allergan, including its Botox franchise and eye care portfolio, for $63 billion in 2019 as it sought to offset anticipated revenue losses from the patent expiration of its then-flagship drug, Humira.

The Allergan aesthetics segment suffered several consecutive quarters of declining sales, including a 6.1% revenue drop in full-year 2025. However, the first quarter of 2026 marked a return to growth, with sales rising 7.6% to $1.2 billion.

The recovery has nonetheless been complicated by a regulatory setback. The FDA last month issued a complete response letter for AbbVie's fast-acting botulinum toxin candidate, requesting additional manufacturing information and declining to approve the injection, which is designed to take effect within hours rather than the several days required by standard Botox. Chief scientific officer Roopal Thakkar said the company was "well-positioned to respond to the agency's feedback promptly."