Image: © Florence Piot/Stock.adobe.com
The fresh layoffs come less than a year after the pharma giant cut 100 jobs from its Newbridge site.
Pharma giant Pfizer is reducing its headcount in Ireland, cutting 210 jobs from facilities around the country.
It is understood the jobs will be cut from the company’s manufacturing sites in Grange Castle in Dublin, Ringaskiddy in Cork and Newbridge in Kildare.
The layoffs are part of a multiyear cost-cutting programme, which aims to reduce $1.5bn in expenses by the end of 2027. The programme was launched in May of this year.
The news follows cuts that were already made to its Newbridge site last November. At the time, Pfizer announced plans to cut 100 jobs from its Kildare plant as part of what it called “an enterprise-wide cost realignment programme”.
The cuts were specifically related to those who work on the company’s Covid antiviral treatment.
“Onsite operations were expanded in 2021 to meet pandemic needs but, considering the lower-than-expected utilisation for our Covid-19 products, production is now scaling down in line with customer demand,” the company said in November.
SiliconRepublic.com has reached out to Pfizer for comment.
According to The Irish Times, the latest job cuts will be made during the last quarter of 2024 and into the new year.
“Reducing jobs is always the very last resort and we have been doing all we can to reduce costs elsewhere and minimise the impact on our people,” a spokesperson said.
“All job-related decisions will be made with transparency, respect and in compliance with all applicable laws.”
The news comes shortly after pharma rival Eli Lilly announced a major expansion to its Limerick manufacturing site, creating 150 jobs. And earlier in the summer, Beckman Coulter Diagnostics announced a €10m investment at its site in Clare.
However, the pharma sector has not been without its struggles, as US pharma company Viatris intends to fully close down its pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Cork by 2028.
Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.
