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| Jean-Pierre Garnier, Chief Executive Officer |
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin T.D. announced today that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is to invest up to €250 million over five years in its production site at Currabinny, Co. Cork to manufacture products, including the active ingredient for TYKERB (lapatinib), a new oral treatment for advanced breast cancer. The investment is supported by IDA Ireland and will create up to 150 new "high level" positions.
GSK announced earlier this month that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved TYKERB (lapatinib), in combination with Xeloda (capecitabine), for the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer whose tumours overexpress HER2 and who have received prior therapy including an anthracycline, a taxane and trastuzumab. Tykerb is the first, targeted once-daily oral treatment option for this patient population and data show it, in combination with caecitabine, is effective for women whose disease has recurred despite previous treatment.
Worldwide, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women, resulting in over one million new cases each year. Each year around 360,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in Europe. In Ireland, one woman in eleven will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Despite advances, however, many women progress after treatment and effective alternatives are needed.
Speaking at today’s announcement Martin said: "We were pleased to hear that GSK has received FDA approval for Tykerb and delighted to know it would be manufactured in Ireland. It is marvellous news for the pharmaceutical industry base in Ireland, but even more so for the millions of women worldwide who suffer from the most horrific disease of breast cancer. I am delighted to announce this decision on behalf of GlaxoSmithKline, a company at the forefront of pharmaceutical development and a leader in its field.”
The Minister continued “This investment further strengthens Cork’s enviable reputation as a location of excellence in the pharmaceutical industry. It is also more evidence of the company's commitment to Ireland, following on from its recent announcement of a major research collaboration with the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre in UCC”.
Andrew Witty, President of GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals in Europe said “The recent approval of Tykerb by the FDA is great news for those women with advanced breast cancer and it demonstrates our R&D organisation’s strong commitment to the discovery and development of novel cancer treatments. We are dedicated to the further study and development of Tykerb in a variety of settings including adjuvant breast cancer as well as in other solid tumor types and I’m delighted that Irish researchers will be assisting us in this regard”.
Finbar Whyte, Site Director GSK Cork said “We are delighted to have been chosen as the production site for the Tykerb Active Ingredient following years of committed research and development work by GSK employees around the world. Since our clinical trial programme on Tykerb began, it has been greatly anticipated. Indeed, seventy-seven Irish women participated in Tykerb clinical trials in Ireland.”
Pharmachemical Ireland, the IBEC group that represents the pharmaceutical and chemicals industry, today (Thursday 29 March 2007) welcomed the announcement by GlaxoSmithKline Beecham that 150 new jobs are to be created at its plant in Carrigaline, Co Cork.
Pharmachemical Ireland Director Matt Moran said: "This announcement clearly shows that Ireland remains a location of choice for new investment. It is vital that Ireland continues to wins investment in new high tech products such as these if it is to maintain it leading global position."
"We must ensure that there remains compelling reasons for the major manufactures to stay and expand their operations here. Pharmaceutical and chemical exports were valued at over €40 billion by the CSO last year and the IDA estimates that the sector has invested over €12 billion in capital since the industry first arrived in Ireland in the late 1960s. Nine of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in the world have operations in Ireland," he said.
GSK Cork is a strategic global new product introduction site within GSK and manufactures the active ingredients of medical compounds. The Currabinny site was established in 1975 and over 600 people are employed there. More than 1600 people are employed by GSK in Ireland across four sites in Cork, Dublin and Dungarvan.
