Pfizer redundancies - Government must do more to help

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer was one of the success stories of the Celtic Tiger economy, especially with the development of the wonder drug Viagra.

As it was engaged in manufacturing, research and development, it was one of the biggest multinational employers, with around 5,000 workers in 13 locations.

The company’s announcement yesterday that it is cutting back on its Irish operations came as a great disappointment. Some 785 jobs are to go in the next 18 months to five years.