Sanofi To Lay Off 229 Blueprint Medicines Staffers, Close Cambridge Offices
Sanofi is laying off 229 Blueprint Medicines staffers and closing the company's Cambridge offices following its acquisition, according to a FiercePharma report. Kate Haviland, formerly Blueprint's CEO, has since taken the board chair role at GC Therapeutics, a Cambridge-based cell thera…
CAMBRIDGE — Sanofi is cutting 229 jobs and closing Blueprint Medicines' Cambridge offices following its acquisition of the biotech firm, a jolt to the city's life-sciences sector that landed the same week the state eased Cambridge's drought status and set voter-registration deadlines for next month's primary.
TOWN HALL
The Commonwealth's Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs has downgraded Cambridge and the Northeast region from a Level 3 Critical Drought to a Level 2 Significant Drought, the city's News Flash announced. Cambridge had been under critical drought conditions since late May.
The city is also reminding residents about voting options ahead of the Sept. 1 State Primary. Saturday, Aug. 22 is the last day to register to vote, with online registration, address updates and party-affiliation changes available until 11:59 p.m. that night. Applications for a mailed ballot are due by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS
"Sanofi to lay off 229 Blueprint Medicines staffers, close Cambridge offices following acquisition" reads a FiercePharma headline. The trade outlet reports Kate Haviland, Blueprint's former CEO, has since taken the board chair role at GC Therapeutics, a Cambridge-based cell therapy company (read it at https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/sanofi-lay-229-blueprint-medicines-staff-close-cambridge-offices-following-acquisition).
"🌱 Patch AM: What changed the City Council's mind on ShotSpotter in Cambridge?" Cambridge Patch's morning briefing flags a shift in councillors' stance on the gunshot-detection system, though the preview did not spell out what prompted the change, per Cambridge Patch (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/cambridge).
"Science Club For Girls highlights opportunities for women in STEM." NBC Boston profiled the Cambridge-based nonprofit's recent hands-on project giving young women a look at STEM career paths, according to NBC Boston (read it at https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/science-club-for-girls-stem-careers/3999116/).
"Verveine Cafe & Bakery: 2026 USA TODAY 10BEST Readers' Choice Awards." The Massachusetts Avenue bakery is a finalist in the national readers' poll, with public voting open now, per USA Today's 10Best (read it at https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/verveine-cafe-bakery-cambridge-massachusetts/).
"Yard Act + The Armed - The Sinclair ( Cambridge, MA ) - August 16, 2026." The Big Takeover reviewed the touring acts' Sunday night show at the Cambridge club (read it at https://bigtakeover.com/concerts/yard-act-the-armed-the-sinclair-cambridge-ma-august-16-2026).
Compiled from official town feeds, community organizations, and local press. Outside reporting is attributed inline.
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