New medical devices strategy needed in wake of closure of Offaly factory

The  surprise and shocking decision by Cardinal Health in Tullamore to close – with the loss of over 300 jobs - should be used to develop a new strategy for the Midlands around medicines and medical devices, Councillor Tony McCormack has said.

Added the Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council: "The loss of this long-established plant will have a huge negative impact on our communities.  It has been a terrible blow to the staff at Cardinal Health and to the surrounding towns and counties from which the workforce is drawn.  

"Given the decades of experience of the staff and the tradition of medicines and medical devices in the Midlands, the opportunities to harvest something from the catastrophe should not be lost.

"The Midlands has many of the top global brands in medicines and medical devices. Cardinal Health shows we cannot be complacent on keeping manufacturing jobs in Ireland.  Government and its agencies need to focus on keeping manufacturing jobs as much as on winning new projects.  It could take three new projects to replace what will be lost with Cardinal Health.  The area should now be designated for tax and development incentives around medicines and medical devices to draw in new areas of business after Cardinal Health closure.

 "The country has no cohesive life-sciences & health technology strategy - particularly in the Midlands.  Pharma & MedTech investment in this region is a huge Irish success story and it should be built upon so the expertise of the Cardinal staff and others in this region is not lost.  The Midlands needs a special strategy now to grow long-term innovation & R&D in medicines and medical devices and to grow the significant life-sciences footprint."

"A national policy focused on clustering, knowledge-sharing and life sciences needs to be leveraged for Offaly and the Midlands without delay," Councillor McCormack said.