Medical Device & Pharma Companies in Galway – Ultimate Guide

• Over 11,700 people directly employed in Pharmaceutical & Medical Device Manufacturing
• Home to manufacturing sites for 3 of the world’s top 15 medical device companies
• More than 25 companies have manufacturing sites in the county

Galway consistently ranks in the top 4 counties for available Pharmaceutical and Medical Device jobs in Ireland.

Read on to find out more…

BTW, if you are interested in a career in the Pharmaceutical or Medtech industries or are considering upskilling for a better job or a promotion, check out our range of pharmaceutical courses.

There have been several investments and job announcements in Galway recently. Some of the most significant include:

• • Aerogen is hiring for 500 new jobs as their inhaler is used in China’s Covid-booster programme
  • Boston Scientific to create 300 jobs with €100m investment in Ballybrit plant
  • Dexcom is investing €300m in a new facility in Athenry, expected to lead to up to 1,000 new jobs
  • Medical device maker Freudenberg to add 100 jobs after expansion

• Activities: Medical Devices – Stents & Catheters
• Employees in Galway: 3800

Boston Scientific’s Galway manufacturing site was established in 1994. More than just being the company’s largest site in Ireland, it’s actually their largest manufacturing site in the world.

The team here produce over 4 million devices every year. Product lines include structural heart valves, self expanding stents and drug-eluting stents.

The Galway site is also the company’s European Innovation Centre. In 2017, a €17m investment was announced to launch a new “RoadRunner” endoscopy design facility.

In 2019, the company unveiled a new development and customer support building after a €60m investment.

In this video, “Smart Futures” talk to two biomedical engineers at Boston Scientific’s Galway plant…

• Activities: Medical Devices – Respiratory Monitoring
• Employees in Galway: 2000

Medtronic is the biggest MedTech company in the world (based on 2022 revenue). They research, develop and manufacture medical devices, with a focus on chronic conditions. The company estimates that every second, two patients’ lives are saved or improved by a Medtronic product.

Medtronic has had a presence in Galway since 1999. There are two Medtronic manufacturing sites in Galway – Mervue and Parkmore.

At Mervue, the company focuses on the development of Respiratory & Monitoring Solutions.

At Parkmore, Medtronic has established a “Centre of Excellence for Operations and R&D to support Global Cardiac & Vascular Businesses, as well as a Customer Innovation Centre”. There is also significant manufacturing – approximately 10,000 stents per day are made here (that’s ~2 million every year!) – the majority of which are exported for use around the world.

Medtronic’s Galway manufacturing played a vital role in ventilator production during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022, as the company celebrated 40 years of Irish operations, they announced a further $30m investment which would lead to 200 new R&D jobs within the Parkmore site.

In this video, you can hear more about why Medtronic chooses Ireland, as well as the operations in Galway.

• Activities: Medical Devices – Guide Wires & Inflation Devices
• Employees in Galway: 1000

Merit Medical has had a presence in Ireland since 1993.

The company is headquartered in Galway and now has two facilities in the county (after a $25m investment in a new site in 2012), which carry out research and development activities as well as manufacturing over 9 million devices per year.

Merit Medical was awarded Medtech Company of the Year 2018, at the Irish Medtech Awards.

Merit Medical Ireland Wins Medtech Company of the Year Award 2018 https://t.co/WmbuTnvtbA pic.twitter.com/7snQVIdKlc

— Merit Medical (@MeritMedical) December 10, 2018

• Activities: Medical Devices – Delivery & Access Devices
• Employees in Galway: 1300

Creganna was established in Ireland in 1979 and entered the medical device industry in 1998. By 2003, medical devices were the sole focus of the company. The company now specialises in the design and manufacture of delivery and access devices, as an outsourcing solution for many of the world’s top medical device companies.

Creganna was acquired by TE Connectivity in 2016 and, in 2017, a $13m investment in the Galway site was announced by the parent company.

Most recently, in 2022, the company opened a new $5 million prototyping centre with the aim of reducing the time it takes to develop new medical devices.

• Activities: Medical Devices – Vial & Syringe Aseptic Filling
• Employees in Galway: 270

In 2010, Mylan purchased the Bioniche Life Science vial and syringe ascetic filling facility.

In 2012, the company announced an annual investment of up to €76m for 5 years as it expanded both its Dublin and Galway facilities.

The Galway site became Mylan Teoranta in early 2013.

By the end of 2015, the company had expanded the manufacturing, packaging, and quality control capabilities of the site.

Viatris was formed in 2020 after a merger between Mylan and Upjohn.

The Galway site now produces two devices containing hyaluronic acid, in vial and syringe format. One is used to treat interstitial cystitis and one is used to treat muscular and skeletal inflammation and pain. These products are exported to countries around the world (but not the USA).

• Activities: Medical Devices – Orthopaedic Devices
• Employees in Galway: 400

Zimmer Biomet has had a presence in Ireland since 2007, with a manufacturing site in County Clare.

In 2015, the company announced a €51m investment to build a second manufacturing site for orthopedic implants, in Galway. 

Check out this video for a look inside Zimmer Biomet’s Galway facility…

You can also see more about the Galway site’s “Made as if intended for my family” philosophy here…

Activities: Generic Pharmaceutical Products

Employees in Galway: 730

Chanelle Pharma is the largest Irish-founded generic pharmaceutical manufacturer, producing both human and veterinary medicines. The company’s Irish-made products are exported to over 90 countries.

Chantelle Pharma was awarded Pharma Project of the Year at the 2016 Irish Pharma Awards. They went on to win Pharma Company of the Year at the 2018 awards – the first indigenous Irish company to do so.

In September 2018, Chanelle Pharma opened a new €10m manufacturing facility at their Galway site to produce Spot On, an anti-parasite treatment for cats and dogs. At the same time, they announced a further €86m investment which is expected to create 350 new jobs at the site over the next 5 years. Part of that investment is to build a facility that will produce liquid and paste products for the US market. 

In February 2024, British private equity group Exponent acquired Channel.

Find out more about Chanelle’s Galway-based operations in this video…

Find ALL of Galway’s Pharmaceutical and Med Device Factories on this Interactive Map.
(Best viewed on a Desktop or Tablet)

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