Irish eyes smiling as Pfizer plans $130m investment
pharmafile | July 15, 2013 | News story | Manufacturing and Production | IDA, Pfizer, cork, grange
The company has said it will spend $100m upgrading its Grange Castle site in Dublin and $30m at Ringaskiddy in Cork to allow them to handle the production of ‘more advanced, complex therapies’.
The news is a fillip to Pfizer’s Irish workforce, coming a little over a year after the drugmaker said it planned to downsize its workforce at Ringaskiddy and Little Island in Cork by around 177 positions in the wake of the loss of patent protection on cholesterol drug Lipitor (atorvastatin).
The start of generic competition to erectile dysfunction treatment Viagra (sildenafil) following patent expiry in June had raised concerns that another round of downsizing may be on the cards, but the latest announcement makes it clear that Ireland will feature prominently in the roll-out of Pfizer’s newer drugs.
The money earmarked for Grange Castle will be used to expand an existing mammalian cell culture unit that is currently involved in the production of the protein for Pfizer’s rheumatoid arthritis drug Xeljanz (tofacitinib).
A new production line will be set up to increase capacity and double productivity, according to statement from IDA Ireland, which notes that the company has invested some $200 million since 2011.
Pfizer said the expansion will also release capacity to allow products currently in the pipeline to be made at the facility.
Work is due to start shortly and will create around 140 construction jobs over the next year, peaking at 250 jobs before the facility becomes operational in 2015 when the first process validation batches will be made.
Meanwhile, Pfizer said the investment at Ringaskiddy will be used to develop specialist new capability to manufacture some of its “newest medicines in cancer and other future pipeline medicines”.
The aim is to increase the flexibility of the facility by deploying additional capabilities such as real-time analytical technologies and flow processing platforms, and boosting R&D functions so that the unit can support development work not only for commercial projects but also those at the clinical stage.
Paul Duffy, Pfizer’s vice president of manufacturing for Ireland, said the firm is “seeing the benefits of the investments we’ve been making in our innovative core, as evidenced by recent key launches of medicines for stroke prevention, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer, as well as significant progress within our mid-to-late stage product pipeline.”
He added that there is opportunity for Pfizer’s Irish sites to “attract the development of new medicines, while also continuing to manufacture existing, important medicines”.
There is opportunity for Pfizer’s Irish sites to attract the development of new medicines, while also continuing to manufacture existing, important medicines, he added.
Overall, Pfizer employs approximately 3,200 people at six sites in Ireland across manufacturing, shared services, treasury and commercial operations, representing around 3.5% of its global workforce of around 89,000.
IDA Ireland is scheduled to publish a mid-year review of inward investments in the country later this week.
Phil Taylor
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