Major boost for Waterford as new drug gets go ahead

A MAJOR Waterford employer has been given the green light to produce a revolutionary drug improving the sight of the aged.

It’s a huge boost for Waterford and the south east and a major boost for manufacturing in the region.

Bausch & Lomb’s new state-of-the-art, pharmaceutical facility in Waterford has begun the manufacture of Retisert, the world’s first drug to treat chronic, non-infectious uveitis.

The disease strikes the back segment of the eye, inflaming it. The condition typically strikes 20 to 50 year-olds and affects approximately 800,000 people worldwide.

Bausch & Lomb’s Waterford facility is the sole manufacturing site for Retisert. The project began at the Waterford plant in 2001 with the design and construction of a dedicated pharmaceutical facility. Following an audit in 2004, the Irish Medicines Board granted the facility a manufacturing licence for Medicinal Product and an Investigative Medicinal Product.

Colum Honan, who heads Bausch & Lomb’s Retisert project team in Waterford, says it’s a great boost for the south east. “We have been actively involved in the final stages of developing the manufacturing process and now we are focused on getting the product manufactured for a mid-year launch.”

Corkman and Bausch & Lomb Vice President of Global Operations and Engineering Frank O’Regan, was delighted. “This is good news not only for Bausch & Lomb and our Waterford facility, but also for the local economy which has faced some challenges in maintaining the industrial base. It is a clear demonstration of our focused efforts to stay competitive.”

Bausch and Lomb already employs 1,700 people at its IDA industrial estate plant. As well as being a major employer, it is also involved in a huge range of community activities, from being a key sponsor of the Special Olympics to being involved in a host of local, national and international charities.