Nestled along Cork harbour, Ringaskiddy is just one of many Irish villages transformed by the arrival of America’s giant pharmaceutical companies. The area has been nicknamed ‘Viagra village’ because Pfizer, the US drugs behemoth, manufactures the active ingredient for its erectile dysfunction drug at its site on the south coast of Ireland.
With 15pc tariffs on EU exports to America, and an investigation by the US commerce department into overseas drug manufacturing, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the coastal area. In a letter to the heads of 17 pharmaceutical businesses, Trump urged them to ‘negotiate harder with foreign freeloading nations’ in a veiled jab at Ireland. Cork is home to seven of the 10 largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and more than 11,000 people are employed directly by the industry in the county. The village of Ringaskiddy boasts a raft of pharmaceutical and life sciences companies, from Johnson & Johnson to BioMarin, while Cork has around 190 multinational businesses.
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