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Meeting highlights
- Ireland’s Strategic Role in Pharma. Ireland is a stable manufacturing base, with €99.9 billion in exports in 2024, with around 50,000 directly employed.
- Ipsen's Footprint: Over €52M invested in the Dublin site in the last 3 years, Shift from manual to automated production, improving efficiency, and increasing production.
- Ipsen’s Therapeutic Focus: Oncology & Rare Diseases, a balance between legacy products and new innovative treatments.
- Access to Medicines in Ireland: Ireland faces very slow reimbursement processes in comparison to many other countries, resulting in delayed access to medicines. There is a need for stakeholder collaboration to accelerate patient access.
- Leadership Reflections: Paul Byrne is proud of initiating patient-centric programs and reorganising teams to improve scientific engagement. Stresses the importance of taking calculated risks and adapting strategy based on patient and healthcare system needs.
EF: What will 2025 be remembered for in Ipsen Ireland?
PB: Before I talk about Ipsen, it's important to understand the pharmaceutical industry in Ireland as a whole. Ireland is a stable manufacturing base, with €99.9 billion in exports in 2024, with around 50,000 directly employed. The investment in this space continues to grow, with a wide range of companies involved. Nine of the top ten global pharma companies have manufacturing operations here, and when you look at the top twenty drugs used around the world across different therapeutic areas, twelve of them are made in Ireland. That says a lot about the role Ireland plays globally.
As we look to the future, it is crucial to keep this context in mind, particularly when discussing the availability of new medicines for patients in Ireland.
As for Ipsen Ireland, 2024 was a standout year for us because our manufacturing site won the Shingo Gold Prize. It's a reflection of the ongoing investments that are important to our business, especially in areas like technology, research & development, and the transformation of how we manufacture using more automated processes. Over the last three years, there has been a €52 million investment in this site, and there's a further €15 million planned over the next couple of years. The funding is focused on continuing the technical development, sustainability, and driving innovation. Despite the continued progress in innovative manufacturing, there remains the challenge of how we can successfully secure access to innovative treatments for Irish patients.
Ireland, like every country, faces healthcare challenges. Securing access to medicines for patients within Ireland demands robust collaboration between the industry and government to devise solutions that expedite the delivery of these vital treatments, many of which are manufactured here.
EF: Why is one dollar invested in Ireland better than invested anywhere else? What is your pitch to attract investment into the country?
PB: It comes down primarily to the skilled workforce in Ireland and the investment and collaboration that have gone into building it. There has been a strong focus on STEM in colleges, and that has helped create a highly skilled and competitive talent pool. I believe that the focus on STEM is one of the primary drivers behind pharmaceutical growth, which, when combined with a skilled workforce and investment from government, universities, and industry, has resulted in a thriving life sciences sector.
It should be highlighted that the availability of a skilled workforce is not simply a result of the focus on STEM; companies themselves have also made a real and continued effort to develop people. It's not just about hiring new talent; it has been about successfully building talent from within.
I am proud to say that Ipsen has a long-standing commitment to promoting careers in science and STEM and has a variety of graduate and apprenticeship schemes open to young people with a passion for science. We are focused on attracting talent while continually investing in ongoing people development through various training programs, both in-person and online. Talent management is a priority, allowing us to develop our people to be ready for the evolving challenges within the healthcare system globally.
EF: What is the strategic importance of Ireland to Ipsen and the manufacturing site?
PB: As mentioned earlier, the continued investment in the site highlights the importance of Ipsen in Ireland. It is a critical site where we manufacture the active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) for two of our innovative cancer treatments that are now well-established globally. Our medicines are available to patients in over 85 countries worldwide. The investments the company has made in the Irish site in upgrading and expanding operations have given us the capability and flexibility we need; we can scale quickly depending on global demand, ensuring that we can deliver drugs to patients on time and at the highest quality. That flexibility has been a major strength.
EF: What does access mean to you?
PB: For me, access means more than just availability to medicines —it’s about making sure patients have equitable access and consistency of uptake so that they can benefit from innovative treatments when they need them most. I truly believe that access to medicines is a basic human right, one that should be upheld for everyone, no matter their background or circumstances.
Here in Ireland, we are facing real and pressing challenges in delivering timely access to care. Our healthcare system is stretched, with capacity constraints and funding pressures that affect how quickly patients can receive the treatments they deserve. Yet, at the heart of it all remains a simple, powerful truth: patients need essential medicines, and it’s our responsibility to ensure they get them—without delay, without barriers.
As an IPHA member company, we are engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, including the government, health authorities, patients, and other partners, to improve patients' access to newer innovative treatments, which will ultimately lead to raising standards of healthcare in Ireland. Our goal is to help create a more efficient system that prioritises patient needs and ensures that everyone can manage or recover from their illness with the best available treatments.
EF: Do you have any recommendations to policymakers on how to adopt innovation faster and to match European levels of access?
PB:. Policy makers should work towards creating a sustainable funding model that supports the introduction of innovative treatments without compromising the financial stability of the healthcare system. There are opportunities for collaboration between the government, healthcare providers, and the pharmaceutical industry, which may lead to more effective solutions for improving access to new medicines. Ireland will be one of the first assessors as part of the EU’s joint health technology assessment (HTA) system, which came into effect on 12 January 2025. This joint clinical assessment alongside Germany will hopefully facilitate speedier access to new oncology medicines for Irish patients. Despite legislative requirements under the Health Act 2013 mandating reimbursement decisions within 180 days, recent data show that the average time to patient access for new medicines is 617 days, with cancer and orphan drugs taking even longer.
Consideration should also be given to alternative funding models, like performance-based risk-sharing schemes in the UK and Italy. Reimbursement is tied to patient-level outcomes, while at the same time, additional data can be collected to confirm their effectiveness and allow for full reimbursement.
Ireland also has an opportunity to further enhance its ability to attract clinical trials, allowing patients to get access to newer, innovative treatments. The current Programme for Government clearly prioritises enhancing the country’s appeal as a destination for clinical trial investment. This will also help support the reimbursement process, as data potentially gathered during the trials for Irish patients will help inform the local clinical opinion as part of the review process.
EF: In terms of the Ireland footprint, how is that looking in terms of contribution percentages, and where are most of your efforts going in the future?
PB: Each segment of our portfolio is crucial to our overall success. We have a range of legacy products that are well-established, reimbursed, and supported by comprehensive systems, including patient training. Our current focus, from a reimbursement perspective, is on the solid tumour area in oncology, particularly treatments for renal cell carcinoma. Additionally, we are focusing on rare liver diseases, which is an evolving therapeutic area with a high unmet patient need.
In close collaboration with key stakeholders, we are striving to navigate the reimbursement process as efficiently and swiftly as possible to make these rare disease treatments available for Irish patients. In terms of effort, approximately 50 percent of our work is dedicated to innovation in oncology and rare diseases, whilst the remaining 50 percent is focused on supporting our current portfolio, ensuring these products remain available for patients, and continuing the support programs associated with them.
EF: Looking back over the past decade at Ipsen, what are some of your proudest moments and lessons learned?
PB: For me, it comes down to the end goal and what you can achieve. I'm always thinking about how we can move the dial and support patients to access medicines. When I first joined Ipsen, one of the first things I did was initiate a patient support program to train patients to self-inject. That gave them more autonomy and improved their quality of life. It became a key part of how Ipsen Ireland grew and evolved.
Collaborating closely with patient groups has been key in helping our understanding of the patient journey. These conversations have helped us move beyond assumptions and truly appreciate what matters most to patients at each stage of their experience.
I also dedicate significant time to thinking about how we take bold, strategic risks—those that have the potential to change our operating model. It’s not just about taking risks but about identifying which ones are worth taking and envisioning the future we want to create. That includes making deliberate choices about how different functions support our business: where to invest more, and where to scale back.
Over the past few years, I’ve made tangible changes by investing in areas that strengthen our operational backbone. This includes enhancing the functions that support the day-to-day running of the company—ensuring we’re not only delivering today but building for the future.
Did every change work out? No. But the ones that did brought real value. They helped improve access, supported our customers, the healthcare professionals (HCPs), and ensured we had the right people in the right roles. These are the things I think about: taking calculated risks, thinking ahead, and being willing to lead with vision when the time is right.
As we move forward, our commitment to innovation, patient care, and strategic growth will continue to drive us. We are dedicated to making a meaningful impact on the lives of patients and ensuring that Ipsen remains at the forefront of the pharmaceutical industry. Our journey is far from over, and I am confident that our best days are still ahead.
EF: What is your forecast, and what do you see as one of the most impactful and relevant trends that are going to impact our sector in the next five years?
PB: For me, it's personalised medicine. Personalised medicine will become increasingly central to treatment approaches, with genetic profiling and biomarker-based therapies becoming standard practice for many conditions. This trend will drive more targeted and effective therapeutic interventions. The increasing use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, which will analyse patient data to identify individuals who are most likely to benefit from a specific drug, is paving the way for more targeted and personalised treatments. If you can identify the right patient and match them with the right treatment, the impact is that you create a more cost-effective healthcare system.
By harnessing the power of personalised medicine and cutting-edge technologies, we can transform the healthcare landscape, ensuring that every patient receives the best possible care tailored to their needs.
