Fact file

• The Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association is a member of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations and follows all international and European regulations and guidelines in relation to the pharma code of ethics for meetings and events
• Viagra, one of the world’s most popular drugs, is produced and manufactured in a small town called Ringaskiddy in County Cork; in 2018, they produced over 45 tonnes
• 90 bio-pharma plants are located here, of which 50 are FDA-approved plants

Novartis 

Novartis is one of Ireland's leading employers in the industry. One of the first pharmaceutical companies to locate to Ireland in the 1950s, Novartis currently employs around 1,200 people across two locations in Cork and Dublin. 

Pfizer 

Pfizer employs approximately 3,200 people at six Irish sites. Having invested $7 billion in operations since first opening in 1969, Pfizer has invested $330 million in the Grange Castle and Ringaskiddy sites in recent years.  

GSK

Operating in Ireland for more than 80 years, GSK employs 1,100. Its Pharmaceuticals and Consumer Healthcare HQ is in Dublin, while its Dungarvan site manufactures 6.5 billion products a year for export to over 70 markets worldwide. At its Cork hub, staff fulfill a variety of global roles.

Ireland’s universities have excelled in the fields of engineering, chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacy and biotechnology. As a result, strong co-operative links to the industry have been developed. The combined power of these centres of learning means Ireland has one of the youngest and most educated workforces in Europe. Just some of these educational institutions comprise of:

• University College Dublin (UCD) 
• Trinity College Dublin (TCD) 
• University College Cork (UCC) 
• University of Limerick (UL) 
• National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) 
• Institute of Technology Sligo (IT Sligo) 
• Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT)