"Continuous innovation plays a central role in Ireland’s future as a knowledge–based economy. The harnessing of the skills and creativity of the people here at Brinny has been instrumental in the decision by MSD to base these two facilities here, representing a financial investment of €28.6 million and the provision of 70 jobs," according to the Minister for Research and Innovation, Séan Sherlock TD at the official opening of two new state of the art facilities at the existing MSD Brinny site in Co. Cork. The new facilities include the Brinny Bioassay Centre of Expertise and the Brinny Pneumococcal Vaccine Conjugation Facility.
This event is the first the Brinny facility (previously known as Schering–Plough) has celebrated as part of global healthcare leader MSD. The company is known as MSD worldwide, except in the United States and Canada where it is Merck.
The Minister joined with Dr. Mike Kamarck, President Merck BioVentures and Senior Vice President, Vaccines and Biologics Manufacturing at Merck & Co. Inc., other senior MSD representatives and CEO IDA Ireland, Barry O’Leary at the event.
Welcoming the announcement, Barry O’Leary said "This IDA supported investment demonstrates MSD’s continued commitment to Ireland and adds to the strategic importance of the Irish operations within the parent company. The company’s decision is a significant vote of confidence in Ireland’s international reputation and standing as an excellent investment location."
"MSD in Ireland employs 2,300 people through our operations in Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Tipperary and Wicklow," according to Dr. Mike Kamarck. "We have an excellent relationship with the IDA and we are grateful to the Minister and the IDA for their ongoing support of MSD in Ireland."
"The opening of the two new facilities here at Brinny is a tangible manifestation of the site business transformation plan we announced last year," said Mr John Howell, General Manager, MSD Brinny. "As a site we are continually focused on our costs and our operational excellence. The locating of these two facilities at Brinny underlines the strategic importance of this site within the MSD global network."
MSD is committed to leading the industry in the development and commercialisation of biologic medicines that improve human health. A bioassay measures the biological effect of a test substance on a living cell and is an essential tool for research and development in biologics manufacture. The new Brinny Bioassay Centre of Expertise will focus on bioassays for therapeutic protein products and will support other MSD sites including Carlow. Brinny has 20 years expertise in bioassay which was a major contributing factor in MSD’s decision to base the Bioassay Centre of Expertise at Brinny. Ten highly qualified individuals will work at the Bioassay Centre.
MSD is the leading supplier of adult pneumococcal vaccine globally, having
distributed more than 140 million doses worldwide. Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) will protect infants from this life– threatening disease which is the leading cause of vaccine–preventable death in children less than 5 years old worldwide. The Brinny Pneumococcal Vaccine Conjugation Facility will produce vaccine for clinical trials in immunisation against pneumococcal disease for paediatric use. The Brinny facility will employ 60 people initially through construction, commissioning, qualification and clinical supply phases and 30 highly qualified technicians long term, subject to clinical trial success. The facility will have the capacity to produce 100 million doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine a year.
MSD’s site in Brinny, Co. Cork is an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) and sterile manufacturing centre of expertise. Established in 1980, 511 people are currently employed at the site. The products made at Brinny have approvals in over ninety markets worldwide.