The latest news from Irish pharma, including a big new R&D investment for Abbott; contact lens giant Bausch & Lomb’s EUR 90 million manufacturing investment; and a new report on the danger that confidential pricing agreements pose to sustainable medicine costs in the country.
Abbott confirms new €37.8m R&D investment for Clonmel (The Irish Times)
Healthcare giant Abbott, which employs more than 4,000 people in the Republic, has announced a €37.8 million investment at its Clonmel, Co Tipperary, facility.
The company will embark on a new research and development programme in the area of cardiovascular devices. It will focus on the discovery, innovation and development of a number of projects, including next generation stents, as well as coronary and endovascular balloon technologies.
Bausch & Lomb to invest €90m and create 130 jobs at Waterford plant (The Irish Times)
Contact lens manufacturer Bausch & Lomb has announced plans to invest €90 million in its Waterford plant, creating 130 new jobs in the process.
The investment will increase capacity for the manufacture of the company’s Biotrue ONEday range of contact lenses. The new production lines are expected to come on stream in 2023.
Ireland’s Role in the European Union’s Evolving Pharmaceutical Sector (PharmExec.com)
https://www.pharmexec.com/view/ireland-s-role-in-the-european-union-s-evolving-pharmaceutical-sector
Ireland will play a central role in helping to put the EU’s new pharmaceutical and industrial strategies into motion. The country is a European pharmaceutical manufacturing hub and the third largest exporter of pharmaceuticals in the world. Ireland has more than 85 pharmaceutical companies operating within its borders and some 40,000 people employed in the industry.
Medicine costs could become unsustainable, report warns (The Irish Times)
Drug companies’ insistence on confidential pricing agreements is undermining efforts to curb costs in the health service, according to a spending review report on high-tech medicines.
It worries that the cost of cutting-edge drugs could become unsustainable, leaving vulnerable patients in the lurch.
Irish firm’s wearable camera allows paramedics to stream to hospitals (The Irish Times)
Dublin-based medtech company RedZinc is seeking to raise €300,000 to accelerate its growth after developing a wearable camera for paramedics to facilitate real-time video streaming to hospitals from the scene of an emergency.
The BlueEye Handsfree is a wearable, mobile, point-of-view, wireless video delivery platform designed for paramedics. It also facilitates remote training, consultation or expert advice via live video.
