David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

27. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the State supports he has offered to vaccine manufacturers. [15091/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

It is well known that Ireland is internationally recognised as a centre of excellence in the pharmaceutical sector and in the broader life sciences sector. In recognition of the critical work of those Irish-based companies, last October I convened a series of short meetings with several of IDA Ireland’s biopharmaceutical client companies to hear about the crucial role they are playing in the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic and particularly on the work being done in Ireland to assist in the global efforts to combat COVID-19. It was clear from these meetings and IDA Ireland's ongoing mapping of the sector that, at the time, there was no available capacity within these existing pharmaceutical plants to produce COVID-19 vaccines.

In recent weeks, a global client of IDA Ireland, Pfizer, announced plans that it is to manufacture a COVID -19 vaccine drug substance at its facility in Dublin. Expansion plans at this site will allow for the extra production that will be part of the global vaccine supply chain network, contributing to the worldwide supply of the vaccine. This represents a vote of confidence in the Irish life-sciences sector.

Separate to existing capacity, the COVID-19 Products Scheme was developed jointly by IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland under the European Commission Temporary Framework that allows additional aid to be granted by EU Member States to companies that are developing or producing medicinal products used in the fight against COVID-19.

IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland are supporting a range of companies with product and process solutions of relevance to the ongoing global response to tackling Covid-19. This includes some projects in the area of vaccines as well as many other projects in areas such as PPE production, medical devices, sanitisers & sanitising equipment and diagnostic tests, all of which remain important responses to the Covid-19 challenge.

In the area of vaccine production, Enterprise Ireland has identified Irish companies that can offer solutions to the bottleneck of vaccine production, including specialist services underpinning vaccine manufacturing and related laboratory works etc. Enterprise Ireland is currently working with client companies in these areas to deliver on their proposals under the COVID-19 Products Scheme.