US pharmaceutical company Schering Plough is to cut 161 jobs at its plant at Brinny, Co Cork, due to falling demand for the drugs made there.
The job losses follow a strategic review of the plant's operations and are spread over most departments at the facility.
The Brinny plant makes Intron and Peg-Intron drugs used in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B and C and certain cancers. The company also produces Remicade an antibody use in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn¹s disease and arthritis.
The company will continue to manufacture these drugs on a smaller scale at the plant.
Schering Plough has operated at Brinny since 1986 and employs some 700 people at the site.
Meetings with union and employee representatives will commence from tomorrow on the specific details of what will initially be a voluntary redundancy programme.
An outplacement assistance programme has been established for those who have lost their jobs.