Amgen postpones plans for Irish manufacturing facility

Following a review of its business plans Amgen has decided to postpone indefinitely its plans for a bulk manufacturing facility in County Cork.

The company will cease all current activities on the site but expects to maintain ownership of the site property in co-operation with Irish authorities. The decision will affect up to 79 staff, 65 of whom are based in Cork. The majority are likely to be offered redundancy packages.

"We understand that this is a very disappointing development for our employees, the government, the neighbours around our site and the broader Cork community," said Mark Sawyer, general manager and vice president of operations, Amgen Technology Ireland.

"This decision is based purely on developments relating to Amgen's global business and is in no way reflective of the business environment in Ireland or of the high calibre staff we have hired."