EIRGEN, THE Waterford-based maker of niche cancer drugs, will this morning announce the creation of 30 jobs supporting the research and production of a new range of products.
The expansion, which is supported by Enterprise Ireland, will be announced by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton.
Eirgen, which currently employs 50 people in Waterford, was founded in 2005 by Patsy Carney and Tom Brennan, who had both previously worked for a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Waterford.
The drugs, which will be used to treat a range of cancers, will be based on existing drugs that are now out of patent or coming out of patent, said Mr Brennan, who is in California on the annual Ernst Young Entrepreneur of the Year CEO retreat.
The company is focusing on 16 new drugs which will be developed over the next four to five years and will be marketed worldwide. Mr Brennan said the investment in developing each new drug would be up to €1 million.
The company’s export-led growth was a “fantastic endorsement” of the achievements of Eirgen staff to date in helping it continue to grow its business in over 40 countries, said Mr Brennan, who added that he and Mr Carney were “especially pleased and proud to be able to grow our employment levels in Waterford in these difficult economic times for our city”.
The Government believes Eirgen is “a prime example of the successful companies that will help drive our economic recovery”, according to a script of Mr Bruton’s remarks provided ahead of the announcement.
“A central part of the Government’s plan for jobs and growth is creating a powerful engine of indigenous, export-focused companies,” according to the script.
