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Merck is planning further cuts at its headquarters in New Jersey as part of an ongoing restructuring effort.

In a filing with the state Department of Labor & Workforce Development, the pharmaceutical giant reported it will eliminate 88 positions at its Rahway base by September.

This marks the third time since last summer that Merck will slim down its New Jersey operations.

In July 2025, the company said it planned 58 job cuts as part of a broader plan to reduce expenses and boost profits. Three months later, Merck announced it would let go of 204 employees between February and May of this year.

In a statement to NJBIZ, a Merck spokesperson confirmed the personnel impacts are related to its “multiyear optimization.”

The drugmaker said, “We remain committed to New Jersey, as we continue to employ more than 8,000 people in the state. We have also invested nearly $3 billion since 2018 in our New Jersey operations, which manufacture medicines and vaccines that contribute to saving and improving lives worldwide.”

Cutting $3B by 2027

In a bid to cut costs by $3 billion by the end of 2027, the drugmaker expects to eliminate 6,000 roles across the company. The restructuring program also targets manufacturing optimization and real estate consolidation.

The effort comes as Merck tries to diversify ahead of patent losses in 2028 for its blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda and top-selling vaccine Gardasil. Since 2021, Merck has nearly tripled its late-stage pipeline through in-house development and several major acquisitions.

Some of its latest multibillion-dollar buys include:

• Cidara Therapeutics and its experimental flu drug for $9.2 billion
• Respiratory drugmaker Verona Pharma for $10 billion
• Terns Pharmaceuticals and its chronic myeloid leukemia therapy being developed for $6.7 billion