Pharmaceutical firm MSD  is to cut 40 jobs from its Irish workforce.

The job losses at the company's facility in  Rathdrum Co Wicklow are on a voluntary basis, and will be implemented by December next year. Staff were informed of the plans at a meeting with management this morning.

MSD, formerly known as Merck Sharpe Dohme, said it was seeking the cuts as part of a competitiveness and cost efficiency programme that will also cover energy costs, improvements in process productivity, maintenance and repair costs, and waste disposal costs.

The Co Wicklow operation, which opened in 1961, currently employs about 320 people and is involved in the development and supply of pharmaceutical ingredients.

MSD, known as Merck in the US and Canada, acquired Rathdrum facility in 2009 when it merged with Schering Plough.

The company also has operations in Ballydine in Tipperary, Carlow and Brinny in Cork, and employs more than 2,000 people in Ireland.

In June, MSD said it had invested almost €29 million in two new facilities in Co Cork, creating 70 new jobs.

In May last year, the company said it was establishing its European, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) shared business services centre in Dublin, creating 150 jobs.

The latest blow to employment comes as insurance company Aviva announced it would shed 950 jobs from its Irish workforce.