
AstraZeneca says new facility in Dublin on target for 2026 completion
The firm said the investment will fund a new "state-of-the-art" manufacturing facility in Virginia - set to be its largest single manufacturing investment in the world. It will also expand research and development (R&D) and cell therapy manufacturing in Maryland, Massachusetts, California, Indiana and Texas.
In 2021 AstraZeneca said it was investing €300m to establish a next-generation active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing facility for small molecules in Dublin. Those plans are unaffected by the US announcement, a spokesperson told the Irish Examiner.
"In line with our plans, the construction of our synthetic drug substance commercialisation facility in Ireland is scheduled for completion in 2026," said the spokesperson.
The US announcement marks the latest by a global pharmaceutical giant to expand its footprint in the US as Mr Trump has threatened to impose tariffs of up to 20% on drug imports in an effort to increase manufacturing in America and drive down costs for Americans.
AstraZeneca said the mammoth investment will create tens of thousands of jobs across the US, "powering growth and delivering next-generation medicines for patients in America and worldwide".
The Anglo-Swedish group, which is listed on the FTSE 100, said the investment will also help it towards the group's target of reaching $80bn (€60bn) in revenues by 2030, with half of this is expected to come from the US, it added.
Despite being headquartered in the UK, America is AstraZeneca's largest market, where it employs more than 18,000 staff and makes 42% of total group sales. It already has 19 R&D, manufacturing and commercial sites across the country.
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Irish Times
4 minutes ago
- Irish Times
EU and US agree tariff deal after months of fractious talks
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Mr Trump flew to Scotland on Friday night and was then seen playing golf at his Turnberry resort on Saturday and again on Sunday. Ms von der Leyen, head of the EU executive that has been negotiating with the Trump administration, was pushing to get a preliminary deal on tariffs over the line after months of talks. Speaking to reporters before the start of the meeting on Sunday afternoon, Mr Trump said there were three or four 'sticking points' between the parties. 'I think the main sticking point is fairness,' he said. Mr Trump said he felt Europe needed to open up its market to American agricultural products, a nod to EU rules that ban chlorine-washed chicken or hormone-treated beef. 'They have to open to American products,' he said. 'We do a deal today with the European Union that will be the end of it, we'll go a number of years before we have to discuss it again.' 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US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick travelled from Washington to Scotland on Saturday, with EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic flying in from Brussels. Senior commission figures were in contact with officials from the Japanese government over the weekend in order to gauge how the very final stages of their negotiations played out behind the scenes as a US tariff deal was agreed last week. That agreement saw Japan accept 15 per cent tariffs on its products sold to the US. Cars produced in the EU and sold in the US have faced 25 per cent import duties, while steel and aluminium products have been charged twice that amount. US president Donald Trump playing a round of golf at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland on Sunday. Photograph:A 10 per cent tariff has applied to nearly all trade since the start of April, with two sectors, pharmaceuticals and computer chips, exempt from those measures. Mr Trump has promised to introduce steeper tariffs targeting pharma and semiconductors later. 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However, if the US pushes ahead with its threatened 30 per cent tariffs on EU goods, the EU is ready with counter-tariffs on €93 billion worth of US exports, he said. 'The terms of trade that we had up to just six months ago are no longer available. The world has changed, and we have had major disruption to the system of global trade. We have to recognise the reality.' Asked to comment on the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian and starvation crisis in Gaza, and the EU's reluctance to place sanctions on Israel, Mr McGrath said the EU was doing 'all that it possibly can to achieve progress on the ground' within its 'limited mandate'. Unfortunately the EU 'does not speak with one voice on this issue', he said. Police snipers are positioned on the roof of the Trump Turnberry hotel during US president Donald Trump's visit in Turnberry, Scotland. Photograph: Getty Images Hundreds of protesters gathered in both Edinburgh and Aberdeen for demonstrations against Mr Trump's visit, organised by the Stop Trump Coalition. Mr Trump has said there was a 50-50 chance that the US and the 27-member European Union could reach a framework trade pact, adding that Brussels wanted to 'make a deal very badly'. - Additional reporting Reuters and PA


RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Trump, EU's von der Leyen to meet to clinch trade deal
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to meet US President Donald Trump to clinch a trade deal for Europe that would likely see a 15% baseline tariff on most EU goods, but end months of uncertainty for EU companies. Before the meeting, expected at around 4pm on Mr Trump's golf course in Turnberry, western Scotland, US and EU teams were in final talks on tariffs for crucial sectors like cars, steel, aluminium or pharmaceuticals. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick flew to Scotland yesterday and EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič arrived this morning. Mr Lutnick said that the EU must open its markets for US exports in order to convince Mr Trump to reduce a threatened 30% tariff rate due to kick in on 1 August. He added that the EU clearly wanted to make a deal. "The question is, do they offer President Trump a good enough deal that is worth it for him to step off of the 30% tariffs that he set," Mr Lutnick told 'Fox News Sunday,' adding that Mr Trump was looking to increase access for US firms. He said the ultimate decision would be up to Mr Trump, who has said there is a 50:50 chance a deal can be reached with the EU. Mr Lutnick said the US tariff deadline of 1 August is firm and that there would be no extensions. "So no extensions, no more grace periods. 1 August, the tariffs are set. They'll go into place. Customs will start collecting the money, and off we go." "We're cautiously optimistic that there will be a deal reached," said a Trump administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "But it's not over till it's over." Ambassadors of EU governments, on a weekend trip to Greenland organised by the Danish presidency of the EU, held a teleconference with EU Commission officials to agree on the amount of leeway Ms von der Leyen would have in the talks. In case there is no deal and the US imposes 30% tariffs from 1 August, the EU has prepared counter-tariffs on €93 billion ($109 billion) of US goods. EU diplomats have said a deal would likely include a broad 15% tariff on EU goods imported into the US, mirroring the US-Japan trade deal, along with a 50% tariff on European steel and aluminium for which there could be export quotas. The EU deal would be a huge prize, given that the US and EU are each other's largest trading partners by far and account for a third of global trade. EU officials are hopeful that a 15% baseline tariff would also apply to cars, replacing the current 27.5% auto tariff. Possible exemptions Some expect the 27-nation bloc may be able to secure exemptions from the 15% baseline tariff for its aerospace industry and for spirits, though probably not for wine. The EU could also pledge to buy more liquefied natural gas from the US, a long-standing offer, and boost investment in the United States. Mr Trump told reporters there was "not a lot" of wiggle room on the 50% tariffs that the US has on steel and aluminium imports, adding, "because if I do it for one, I have to do it for all." The US President, in Scotland for a few days of golfing and bilateral meetings, told reporters upon his arrival on Friday evening that Ms von der Leyen was a highly respected leader and he was looking forward to meeting with her. He said that Brussels wanted to "make a deal very badly". The EU now faces US tariffs on more than 70% of its exports, with 50% on steel and aluminium, an extra 25% on cars and car parts on top of the existing 2.5% and a 10% levy on most other EU goods. Mr Trump has said that without a deal, he would hike the rate to 30% on 1 August, a level EU officials said would wipe out whole chunks of transatlantic commerce. Further tariffs on copper and pharmaceuticals are looming. The uncertainty and higher tariffs have already hit profits of EU companies in several sectors. A 15% tariff on most EU goods would remove uncertainty but would be seen by many in Europe as a poor outcome compared to the initial European ambition of a zero-for-zero tariff deal on all industrial goods. Seeking to learn from Japan, which secured a 15% baseline tariff with the US in a deal earlier this week, EU negotiators spoke to their Japanese counterparts in preparation for Sunday's meeting. For Mr Trump, aiming to reorder the global economy and reduce decades-old U.S. trade deficits, a deal with the EU would be the biggest trade agreement, surpassing the $550 billion deal with Japan. So far, he has reeled in agreements with the UK, Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam, although his administration has failed to deliver on a promise of "90 deals in 90 days."


Irish Examiner
5 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
John Whelan: Tariff-free services exports are key to growth for now
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