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A new multi-million pound drug research centre looking at treatments for women’s healthcare and dermatology has been officially opened in Northern Ireland.
The Warner Chilcott Centre of Excellence in Novel Oral Dosage Forms cost £5m and is the first of its kind in the province.
Invest Northern Ireland contributed £1.75m to the total bill, and it is expected to create 14 new R&D graduate and postgraduate positions.
Dr Claire Gilligan, vice president of operations at the site, said: “Dosage form development is an increasingly complex and technically challenging area within the global pharmaceutical industry.
“This specialised centre will significantly increase our R&D capabilities.
Economy minister Nigel Dodds added: “Developments in health and social care are not only creating opportunities to relieve illness and injury, but are also providing opportunities for businesses to gain competitive advantage in international markets.
“With a clear relationship between R&D and productivity growth, Warner Chilcott’s new centre will further enhance the local research infrastructure, and add value to the local economy.
“Indeed one of the key targets in the draft programme for government, which was proposed in October last year, is to halve NI’s private sector productivity gap with the UK.
“Such a major investment in R&D will bring us a step closer to achieving this aim.”
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