The facility, a subsidiary of Industrial Research, had been manufacturing, among other things, cytotoxins – cancer-killing drugs – for international pharma firms, however it was bleeding badly. "After several years spent manufacturing a range of products for pharmaceutical companies, Biopharm was no longer economically viable," said Industrial Research chief executive Shaun Coffey. "Efforts to attract investment in these new initiatives weren't successful, and Industrial Research wasn't in a position to continue operations or develop the business further." All twenty-eight staff will lose their jobs unless other positions can be found for them within Industrial Research, although this part of the business itself has already been downsizing of late, slashing 71 jobs last year.
