Amgen pulls out of planned Cork plant
US drug giant Amgen has pulled out of its plans to build an €820m manufacturing plant in Co Cork.
The shock announcement means that over a thousand jobs which had been promised for East Cork by 2012 will not now being going ahead.
Construction at the site in Carrigtwohill in Cork has already begun and the factory was due to begin its operations in 2010.
But last April the US company announced that it would be delayed by two years.
Now management at the pharmaceutical giant have confirmed that the facility has been postponed indefinitely.
The IDA said today the pull-out follows decisions taken by US Medicare authorities which impact on some of Amgen's main drugs.
It said these decisions have led to the company reducing its global staff by 14% and its withdrawal from the Cork site does not reflect on the business environment here.
In a statement, enterprise Minister Michael Martin said he is deeply disappointed by the announcement.
While Fine Gael TD for East Cork David Stanton has called on the Minister to make a detailed statement and says the move is a major blow for the area.
