Interview: AstraZeneca's Pam Cheng is responsible for bringing the last of the major pharma companies to Ireland. The Anglo-Swedish group never felt the need to invest in manufacturing here. Until now.
More importantly, it had space at its Dublin site.
Cheng, an American chemical engineer by training, is the woman charged with seeing the Irish project to fruition. When it was announced, the Irish investment was painted as a Brexit-inflicted blow to UK Inc. Cheng denies that it was a “direct factor” in the decision and it is true that AstraZeneca continues to invest in its British operations, but she concedes that supply chain and other issues had a bearing in the final call.
Interestingly, while Alexion is very much a biologics operation with stand-alone status in the AstraZeneca group, the new plant that will share its Dublin site is what is known as a small-molecule API plant – a more traditional form of drug.
“This Dublin facility is actually development and commercialisation launch all in the one place,” says Cheng, adding that it allows the company to focus on speed of delivery for a new medicine to the patient. The AstraZeneca manufacturing sites boss was in Dublin last week to unveil the design of the new plant. It is still subject to planning approval but initially, she says, AstraZeneca plans to have the capacity on site for the development and early-stage commercialisation of three drugs simultaneously.
Cheng is confident of delivering the site for regulatory clearance and operations by early 2025, in part, she says, to the “incredibly supportive” IDA Ireland. “Of course, fingers crossed that we don’t get another global pandemic,” she says. “That was incredibly disruptive.” “Covid-19 was the best motivator of all people of all times. I didn’t have to get out there and motivate our troops. People were working above and beyond,” she says. Of the 15,000 people working in AstraZeneca’s global operations division, more than 11,000 came into their plants throughout the pandemic “because we couldn’t make medicine from home”.
“It made everything worthwhile but going through it was not for the faint of heart,” Cheng says, noting that, alongside the Covid vaccine effort, the company also had to keep producing its other medicines. AstraZeneca has also run into problems with its efforts to follow up the success of that first generation of Covid vaccines. The company had high hopes for a nasal version of the vaccine that would have been very easy to apply in multiple settings but it recently failed to deliver the required immune response in an early-stage clinical trial.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Beijing Marathon back but Covid rules in forceAbout 30,000 runners, some wearing face masks, took part in a chilly and smoggy first Beijing Marathon since 2019 after Covid cancelled previous races.
Read more »
Covid Ireland news amid confirmation booster jabs won't be offered to under 50sPeople over the age of 50, pregnant people, healthcare workers and those over the age of 12 with an underlying condition are currently eligible for a second booster shot. However, Minister Donnelly confirmed, the National Immunisation Advisory Committee has not recommended booster shots for younger cohorts.
Read more »
European stocks enjoy broad rally for fourth straight weekly gainMining and luxury goods stocks are boosted by hopes China will relax its Covid-19 curbs
Read more »
Man tests positive for Covid for 411 days before treatment rids him of virusDoctors treating the 59-year-old concocted a cocktail of drugs that is now being hailed for aiding his eventual recovery
Read more »
Experts find hidden Covid side-effect which has been dubbed 'a silent killer'Expert studies have found that people who previously suffered from Covid-19 could be living with a “silent killer.”
Read more »