Drugs firm celebrates 10th birthday

A MAJOR pharmaceutical company celebrated its 10th birthday yesterday and the arrival of its Swiss boss.

Dr Daniel Vasella, chairman and chief executive of Co Cork-based Novartis, led the celebrations at the company’s Ringaskiddy plant yesterday. Dr Vasella led tributes to the company’s 410 workers, especially their work in producing the groundbreaking anti-cancer drug Glivec.

“The story of Glivec is the story of the discovery of a breakthrough cancer drug and I want to compliment and thank everyone here in Ringaskiddy for their key role in ensuring that it won the swiftest passage from the US Food and Drugs Administration ever for a cancer drug,” he told workers.

He said the wonder drug continues to change the lives and outlooks of patients everywhere, bringing hope for those diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia.

“I know that our employees here in Ringaskiddy rallied round magnificently when we told them in 1999 that we wanted to fast-track production of the active ingredient for what was then a highly promising, but still experimental medicine. They worked long hours, took an intense personal interest, suggested ways of speeding things up, kept in touch with the extraordinary progress being made in clinical trials and gave up their Christmas holidays,” Dr Vasella said.

He added he was delighted to visit the plant on its 10th anniversary.

John Alexander, managing director at the plant, said all the workers were immensely proud of the fact that Ringaskiddy had been chosen for the fast track production of Glivec.

“We never lose sight of the fact that we are producing the active ingredients for medicines,” he said.

Other speakers at yesterday’s event were Dr Andreas Rummelt, the company’s head of global operations; Jerry Hourihan, head engineer at Ringaskiddy, and Denis Culligan, who lives in Dublin and is a Glivec user.

Novartis Ringaskiddy currently manufactures active ingredients for six of the company’s top ten products. Apart from Glivec, these include Diovan, a cardiovascular agent for reducing blood pressure and Sandimmun/Neoral the pioneering anti-rejection products which enabled the development of transplant surgery.

It also manufactures Lamisil, the first oral and topically available fungicidal agent for skin and nails; Lescol which treats high cholesterol levels and Sandostatin which treats acromegaly.