Business minister Heather Humphreys has paid tribute to Pfizer during a site visit as the company celebrates half a century of manufacturing in Ireland.

Pfizer is one of Ireland's largest pharmaceutical sector investors and employers. It set up in Ireland in 1969 and currently employs c. 3,700 people at six locations in Cork, Dublin and Kildare.

Country manager Paul Reid said Irish operations contribute €2 billion annually to the Irish economy. “Our success is due to the ongoing support of the Irish government, the IDA and our 3,700 colleagues. We are really proud of what we have achieved in the last 50 years in Ireland and look forward to celebrating future successes.”

Global supply president Mike McDermott added; “Our Irish operations are substantial and we are proud of our Irish workforce, who play an important role in getting innovative medicines to patients in over 100 countries around the world," he said. "We began in Ringaskiddy manufacturing citric acid — now we manufacture complex medicines for cancer, infectious disease, inflammation and stroke prevention from our Irish sites. 

“Pfizer’s priority is researching and developing medicines and vaccines that will transform patient’s lives. In addition to the medicines manufactured today, we a strong pipeline of potential new treatments, with 97 projects at different stages of the clinical trial journey.”

In Association with

The company’s interests in Ireland extend beyond manufacturing to financial services, R&D and commercial services. It’s recruiting at the moment to a range of operations around the country, and more information is available here. 

Pfizer has created an exhibition detailing its history in Ireland, on show at Cork City Library from 27 May to 14 June.

Photo: Clair Murphy, Site Lead at Pfizer Ringaskiddy with Paul Duffy (centre), VP Pfizer Global Supply, and Mike McDermott. (Pic: Adrian O’Herlihy)