A conference has heard that changes in the pharmaceutical sector could see thousands of jobs lost here – if Ireland doesn’t innovate.

The industry employs around twenty five thousand people and is responsible for as much as 40% of our exports.

However, a number of mergers between the bigger firms – and cheaper costs in emerging economies – are posing a real threat.

Terri Cooper from Deloitte Consulting says the focus needs to move away from manufacturing – and onto research and development.

” You need to think about ways in which you can develop research and development collaborations” she said.

“Big pharma right now, in order to fuel pipelines, needs to be able to think about where they can access new and innovative compounds”.

“They themselves are actively seeking collaborations with academic institutes and biotechnology companies” she added.