Ireland Supports Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Sector With New Technology Center
By Cyndi Root
The University of Limerick (UL) announced in a press release that it has launched a new Technology Center to support Ireland’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sector. Funded by the State, the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology Centre (PMTC) will gather members of industry and academia to address contemporary manufacturing issues. UL states that the industry employs over 25,000 people and contributes €40 billion in exports to the Irish economy. The center will address cost competitiveness and patent expiry issues, as well as seek to improve Ireland’s position as a global hub for manufacturing. Dr. Mary Shire, VP of Research at UL, said, “Ireland has one of the best reputations globally in pharmaceutical manufacturing and it’s important that we continue to support the sector so we attract further investment and retain existing investments.”
PMTC
The PMTC joins 14 other state-supported technology centers. The centers were established by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. Enterprise Ireland is a government agency that works to develop Irish businesses so they can compete in Ireland and worldwide. IDA Ireland provides Irish economy information to overseas companies looking to invest in Ireland. The State intends to invest €5 million over five years in the new center.
Together with UL, nine academic institutions and 24 industry partners will conduct research and development at the center, addressing issues common to pharmaceutical manufacturing and those specific to Ireland. Dr. Shire says that the center will specifically address process analytical technology as it will help reduce costs and enhance competitiveness. In the PTMC Needs Document, published in 2012, Appendix A lists other research areas of interest to the Irish pharmaceutical sector broken into the following categories: Synthesis/biosynthesis, isolation/purification, analytics, formulation, and packaging technologies.
Industry Participation
Small, medium, and large pharmaceutical companies have been asked to participate. This includes companies that operate only in Ireland and those that operate multinationally. Major players include Gilead, Astellas, Eli Lilly, Teva, and Janssen, among others. Donal Coveney, MD at TopChem commented on behalf of industry, saying, “The major commercial impact for member companies will be the access to technology generated by the research team in the PMTC. The implementation of these technologies will lead to improved competitiveness, increased or retained employment, and more secure future prospects for the companies involved.”