Amgen finally abandons plans for Carrigtwohill plant amid Pfizer deal
Both Amgen and Pfizer refused to confirm or deny the takeover claims last night.
However, sources said the American company was preparing to spend up to €250 million updating the Pfizer-owned Dun Laoghaire plant, which employs around 220 people.
It is understood Amgen wants to use the facility for bulk production of some of its products.
Despite the enormous cash injection, it is being speculated that Amgen would only create a further 75-100 jobs at the Dun Laoghaire plant.
The news has come as a bitter blow to people in East Cork who were finally informed last year it was likely that Amgen would never honour a commitment to build its European headquarters in Carrig-twohill.
Amgen had announced it was planning to spend $1bn on developing a manufacturing facility in the East Cork town. But it suddenly backtracked and announced it had put off that project indefinitely, amid a restructuring programme which it said would result in reducing its global staff by up to 14%.
In the meantime, the IDA took over the Carrigtwohill site.
Cllr John Mulvihill said he was “bitterly disappointed” with what he’d heard.
Figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show more than 6,200 people are signing on in Cobh, Midleton and Youghal. These figures do not take into account the hundreds who have been forced to emigrate from the area in search of work.
“The county council put in millions of euro into servicing the site in Carrig-twohill. When I claimed at the last general election that Amgen wouldn’t move into Carrigtwohill, I was accused of scaremongering by Fianna Fáil TDs and ministers.
“This is a disgrace, if it’s true, and I would blame the IDA and the Government. They have neglected East Cork which has a huge unemployment problem,’ Mr Mulvihill said.
A Pfizer spokeswoman had no comment to make about any buyers of the two sites the company was seeking to sell at Dun Laoghaire and Cork.
“We are seeking to sell them as ongoing concerns and are actively marketing them,” the spokeswoman said.
