Vaccine boost for profits at GSK Glaxo - and thousands of Munster jobs

GlaxoSmithKline has beaten second-quarter profit expectations with the help of strong demand for its shingles vaccine, prompting the drugmaker to forecast a smaller fall in profit this year than originally anticipated.

GSK is a major employer in Munster — it employs around 1,700 people in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, Cork, Dublin, and Sligo, with 90% of the world’s Panadol produced in the Waterford site. GSK also produces Voltarol, Sensodyne and Corsodyl in its consumer health division.