ImmunityBio lays off workers in Louisville

LOUISVILLE — One year after laying off dozens of workers, including 13 in Louisville, drug company ImmunityBio Inc. (Nasdaq: IBRX) has announced another round of job cuts.

The Culver City, California-based company on Friday filed a notice with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.

ImmunityBio will lay off 25 workers — including five in Louisville — with the balance being cut from five locations in California.

The company in August 2023 cut 48 jobs, including 13 in Louisville.

WARN notices are required to provide advance notice of layoffs or plant closures, with certain thresholds for number of total employees, number of laid-off workers and other factors.

The WARN notice was sent to Karen Hoopes, business services and statewide WARN coordinator, as well as the mayors of Louisville and Broomfield.

“Although we believe it is not legally required, this notice is being provided to you as a courtesy,” Emily Arison, ImmunityBio’s senior vice president for human resources, wrote in the WARN filing. “We have provided WARN Act notices to California state and local officials, but are also providing this notice to you out of an abundance of caution because one or more of the affected employees in the layoff either works at a worksite or resides and works remotely in your jurisdiction.”

Arison said ImmunityBio “is undertaking this layoff in order to better align operations to support the Company’s ongoing business strategy, reduce redundancies, and drive financial efficiencies.”

The Louisville layoffs are expected to take place Oct. 29.

ImmunityBio develops therapies to fight cancers and infectious diseases. The company has a Louisville satellite office at 1450 Infinite Drive, which it took over from GlobeImmune Inc.