Biopharma revolution sees Ireland take leading role

The pharma industry has undergone a quiet revolution over the past 20 years with the move into biopharmaceutical production and large-molecule medicines – but what are these medicines and how are they helping people?

Key sector

The pharma industry is a very important industry for the sector in Ireland. In exports it’s worth €106 billion – which is more than half the exports that leave the country, says Matt Moran, director at Biopharmachem Ireland at Ibec. “Ireland would be viewed as one of the leading hubs for all types of pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturing in the world. There’s a significant investment going on, with most of the large companies having large plants here, and there is over a billion euro of capital investment every year still ongoing. That means we’re getting a lot of new investment and the growth that goes with it.”

Ireland has always been successful at attracting pharma since the 1960s, when the government at the time and the IDA decided to prioritise the sector. “Since the turn of the century, you would see a lot of expansion into biotech or biologic manufacture. In the mid-1990s we lobbied the government to look at the next generation of pharma,” says Moran. “Biotech was the next generation. It was decided that ICT life sciences should be prioritised and Ireland should seek to attract those companies here.”

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There are now more than 84,000 highly skilled people directly and indirectly employed in the sector and the expectation is that this will increase by up to 10,000 jobs over the next five years, says Susan Costello, network manager at BioPharmaChem Skillnet. “The industry in Ireland has played its part in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic and contributes to the global supply chain that has produced the vaccines and medicines that were so badly needed.

“Throughout the pandemic, the biopharma manufacturing plants in Ireland demonstrated considerable agility, resilience and durability, continuing to operate successfully without any interruption in the supply of the essential innovative medicines that are produced here.”

Sustained government investment over the last two decades has delivered a thriving, world-class research and innovation ecosystem, says Costello. “Ireland is currently ranked 12th in global scientific rankings, excelling in areas such as immunology, pharmacology and materials science, and first in the world for knowledge diffusion and impact.

“Ireland has evolved into a highly cohesive research and innovation ecosystem involving close collaboration between researchers in higher education institutions, private enterprise and government.”

Massive shift

The biggest change for the industry in the last 20 years has been the expansion from small molecules to include biologics and, most recently, cell and gene therapy, says Avectas executive chair Mary Martin. “In the early 2000s, Wyeth [now Pfizer] built its first single-site biologics manufacturing facility in Grangecastle, Dublin, and this heralded the beginning of the biologics industry in Ireland. Since then, a host of other companies have joined them including MSD, J&J, Lilly, Regeneron, BMS, Sanofi and Alexion.

“This was an evolution from Ireland’s strength in small-molecule process development and manufacturing and was a strategic move by IDA to respond to the global shift towards biologics. As part of this strategy, IDA invested in the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training to support the shift in training requirements from small-molecule to biologics development and manufacturing.”

New wave of medicine

Rapid and extensive expansion of biotechnology manufacturing began about 20 years ago, says Costello. “With the traditional chemical manufacturing products losing their patents and fewer chemical entities in development, the industry quickly adapted to developing biotechnology capabilities. The emphasis switched from chemical skills and knowledge to that of biologics and microbiology-based skills and knowledge. Not only did Ireland develop manufacturing capabilities but, with government support, also developed research and development capabilities.”

The biggest change has been the expansion from small molecules to include biologics, and most recently cell and gene therapy, says Dr Martin. “Biopharma has allowed the replacement of missing or underproduced proteins, such as insulin. The development of monoclonals has allowed the development of targeted therapies in cancers and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease and multiple sclerosis.”