WHEN Talk Talk suddenly announced last year that it was closing in Waterford with the loss of 575 jobs, Minister for Jobs and Enterprise Richard Bruton said creating jobs in the beleaguered South-East was going to a priority.

Twenty new jobs are to be created at a pharmaceutical company over the next two years, it was announced today.

WATERFORD pharmaceutical firm EirGen is investing €3.3 million in an expansion that is expected to create 20 jobs.

IRISH firms have generated sales totalling €46m with clients in Japan, the world’s second largest economy.

WATERFORD based EirGen Pharma has entered a deal with US-based Three Rivers Pharma which should deliver revenues in excess of $200 million (€280m) per year with profits shared on an agreed basis.