US biotechnology giant Amgen yesterday confirmed that plans to cut the company's workforce by 12-14 per cent will not affect its Irish operations in Cork.
Up to 2,600 jobs are to be shed by the company in an attempt to save more than $1 billion (€745 million) next year.
However, a spokeswoman for Amgen said that the US announcement would have no impact on the company's operations at Carrigtwohill in Cork.
The company is building an €800 million manufacturing plant at Carrigtwohill which will employ more than 1,000 people, many of whom will be science graduates.
"We remain fully committed to our plans to have the plant in Cork completed by 2012," the spokeswoman said.
Earlier this year Amgen announced a two-year delay in the development of the plant, which was initially due to go into production in 2010.
Studies which revealed that the company's two top-selling anaemia drugs, Aranesp and Epogen, raised the risk of death when given in high doses resulted in a 26 per cent drop in Amgen's share price this year. The two products account for almost half of the company's overall revenue.
Amgen, which is based in Thousand Oaks, California, intends to cut capital spending by €1.9 billion over the next two years.
It also plans to close certain production operations and rationalise other facilities in an attempt to improve efficiency.
Amgen chairman and chief executive officer Kevin Sharer said yesterday that the company had always been committed to investing in the future while squarely facing everyday challenges.
