In just 50 years, Ireland has become the world’s third largest exporter of pharmaceuticals, with medicines now making up about 20% of Ireland’s GDP. So how did Ireland become so tied to the pharma industry — and is that reliance at risk amid tariffs, patent cliffs and geopolitical tension?
Ireland manufactures some of the world’s most in demand medicines — from Viagra and Botox to the blockbuster weight loss drug Mounjaro.
In just 50 years, it has become the world’s third largest exporter of pharmaceuticals, with medicines now making up about 20% of Ireland’s GDP.
That success has also created dependence on the industry, and a growing share of the country’s tax base comes from a handful of multinational drugmakers.
So how did Ireland become so tied to the pharma industry — and is that reliance at risk amid tariffs, patent cliffs and geopolitical tension?