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Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, TD, today attended Asia's biggest biopharmaceutical event and opened the "Innovation Ireland" stand at the event. Minister Howlin also took the opportunity to network with a group of CEOs of leading pharmaceutical companies with a view to encourage investment in Ireland.

At the opening Minister Howlin stated "Our strong participation at BioPharma Asia this year underlines the importance Ireland places on Asia as a growing trading partner and as a source of multi- national companies who look at Ireland as a place to business. We place great importance on the pharma and bio- pharmaceutical industry with Ireland being the world's second largest net exporter of pharmaceutical, valued at €55 billion and accounting for some 50% of our total exports.

I welcome that the PM Group, an Irish company in Singapore, has announced today at the conference that it has been awarded a series of new Project Management and Design contracts with a capital value of over US$200 million by their key clients in South East Asia. There are over 60 Irish companies with a significant presence in Singapore, more Irish companies are engaging with Asia than ever before and they are continually growing and succeeding in doing business."