Pfizer Covid vaccine will be made in Ireland

It is expected the Grange Castle facility will be brought onto the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine supply chain by the end of 2021.

Pfizer has confirmed it will manufacture the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in Ireland.

An investment of up to $40m (€32.8m) will be invested in the facility at Grange Castle in West Dublin and will result in the creation of 75 new roles.

It is expected the facility will be brought onto the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine supply chain by the end of 2021.

Pfizer’s Grange Castle facility will produce mRNA drug substance and will contribute to the worldwide supply of the vaccine.

The Vice President of Pfizer Global Supply has said the announcement marks a significant moment for Ireland and the Grange Castle site.

"We are immensely proud to be able to play a part in manufacturing Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine," said Dr Paul Duffy.

"Since last year, Pfizer in partnership with BioNTech has worked tirelessly to expedite the development, approval and scale-up of our Covid-19 vaccine.

"The company has continually expanded manufacturing capability and external partnerships to deliver increased doses to the world to help defeat this devastating pandemic."

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has welcomed the news saying that it puts Ireland at the heart of the EU's fight against the pandemic.

"This is a historic announcement, which builds on the extraordinary success story of Pfizer’s over 50 year manufacturing presence here in Ireland," said Mr Martin.

"As we rapidly step up vaccine roll out, in Ireland, in Europe and across the globe, today’s news is a fantastic development that will see Ireland fully play its part in this generational challenge."

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the decision is a real vote of confidence in Ireland.

IDA Ireland said that Pfizer has chosen to produce the vaccine components in Ireland underlines the importance of the pharma sector here.

CEO Martin Shanahan said it is a strong vote of confidence in the skills, expertise and capability to manufacture the mRNA drug substance.

In order to expand the Dublin facility there will need to be an extensive technical transfer process, on-site development, equipment installations and regulatory approvals.

Pfizer said since it began distributing their vaccine in December 2020, the company have made several enhancements to the vaccine's supply chain including expanding their existing facilities, adding more suppliers and bringing on additional sites and contract manufacturers around the world.