325 jobs to go at Mayo factory

A US pharmaceutical firm has announced plans to lay off 325 workers at its factory in Westport, Co Mayo.

Allergan pharmaceuticals informed staff at the plant this morning that the workforce was being reduced by more than one-third before June 2005.

The lay-offs will affect 240 permanent and 85 temporary employees out of a total workforce of 950.

Allergan says the job losses have occurred following the spin off of Allergan’s optical medical device business to Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. (AMO).

This decision was taken in 2002 to enable Allergan to focus on its core high growth businesses in speciality pharmaceuticals.

Commenting on the announcement, Colam O’Neill, Managing Director of Allergan Pharmaceuticals Ireland, said: “We greatly regret these job losses in Westport, however, they are unavoidable due to the required exit of the labour intensive AMO business.

"We are confident that through the continuing growth of our high growth pharmaceutical businesses and the selection of Westport as the location for the manufacture of future Allergan products, such as Memantine, Diquafosol, Tazarotene Oral, Triamcinolone and Psourdex, we will be able to ensure the future success of this facility.”